On 2013-02-28 17:31:18 +0000, Spider said:
On 28/02/2013 14:13, Sacha wrote:
On 2013-02-28 13:43:42 +0000, Spider said:
On 28/02/2013 12:02, Sacha wrote:
On 2013-02-27 23:05:53 +0000, Bob Hobden said:
"Jeff Layman" wrote
, Spider wrote:
David.WE.Roberts wrote:
snip
You've never used imidacloprid (Provado)? It's the active ingredient
in that product.
Isn't that one of the chemicals that is killing the bees?
Yes. Trying to avoid using these is very important.
http://www.soilassociation.org/wildl...holdpesticides
Gladly acknowledged, Sacha, but I thought it was **relatively** safe
if not sprayed directly onto open flowers, and preferably sprayed
during the early morning or late evening when bees are not active.
I have used it sparingly indoors on an orchid; also I imagine Dave
would be using it indoors, so bees would not be harmed in these two
instances. However, I believe the toxin takes a long time to degrade
so there may be issues with citrus and other edibles, which is why I
didn't suggest it to Dave.
I'm prepared to be wrong .. I am sometimes ;~).
Surely not?! ;-)
So I'm assured :~)
I'm sure you're both using it indoors so the danger
then is minimal. The web site is approaching its from the sense of its
being used broadly on all sorts of plants. But I don't think the early
morning/late evening theory applies. Ime, bees forage from first to last
light on warm days, especially.
Yes, indeed, bees certainly get up long before I do and they're usually
still around when I gravitate indoors. I use as few chemicals as I can
because I love bees and all the beneficial insects/creatures. In
future, then, I'll have to take any pot plants indoors to be judicially
sprayed and border plants will have to take their chance once I've
hand-picked a few bugs off.
It seems important to know what affects them and what we, as gardeners,
just have to learn to live with in terms of pest control. And I know
you're not one of the cavaliers in terms of the latter!! ;-)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk