Tag Archives: neonicotinoid
Plan Bee: Insecticide tags on nursery plants
Lobbying efforts by “defenders of the bees” have been rewarded by one of the largest retailers of nursery plants requiring new tags on plants. As reported today by Nursery Management magazine, all Home Depot plants treated by greenhouse or nursery producers with one of the neonicotinoid insecticides will have to carry a special tag informing customers of the treatment and potential residues. What’s this about? It’s all part of a political and scientific brouhaha over a group of insecticides that were recently discovered to have some subtle, and possibly deadly,… Read More →
Crape myrtle bark scale reduces bloom
As the crape myrtle bark scale spreads throughout Texas, one of the first questions we hear is “will the scale kill my tree?” The answer appears to be “no”, at least not often. To date we’ve not been able to show any crape myrtle tree death as a result of a bark scale infestation. But like many sap-feeding scale insects, these little scales can stress and reduce the appearance of the trees, while producing a prodigious amount of sticky “honeydew” that can coat the leaves and anything under the tree… Read More →
Bee protests are cute, but…
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W5PQbitoS4#t=115[/youtube]A recent protest by organic activists outside a Chicago Home Depot highlighted the current debate over pesticides and bees. It also reminded me that no one wants to go on record as being “against the bees”. Check out the video above. Let’s face it. Despite their sometimes dangerous side, bees rank relatively high on most people’s list of favorite insects. After all, bees are a sure sign of spring (much needed this year). And they make honey for goodness sake. And, as the beekeeping industry keeps reminding us,… Read More →