Laws vary from state to state, but there are other materials you can use, although not quite as affective. I wouldn't let a plane fly over my property and spray everything, even if it worked for borers. Lorsban is not a very species specific insecticide and kills beneficial insects along with your enemies. However, as to your question, I don't see why your nuclear bomb wouldn't also kill your borers. The spray would get everywhere.

Jag,

Lorsban is not classified as "restricted use" by the EPA, but as Hman indicates, some states have more stringent requirements than the federal gov. Lorsban doesn't require an applicator's license in KS. I doubt it does in NE either.

Lorsban is not labeled for use on tree fruit (except citrus) so it would be off-label to use it as a broadcast on your fruit trees, if they had any fruit. It used to be labeled for fruit at one time, but not anymore.

Of course I'm not the pesticide police. How you apply it to your trees is your decision, but practically speaking, I think you would get more bang for you buck to use lorsban as it's labeled.

The concentrated sprays on the scaffolds would seem to me to be more lethal to borers, as it would penetrate the cracks and crevices of the bark better than a very low volume aerial spray, which broadcasts only about 10 gallons of spray solution per acre. As Hman mentioned, Lorsban is pretty lethal to insects, so it might well kill borers on scaffolds with an aerial spray, but I just think it would perform better as a directed coarse spray.

Lorsban isn't hard to apply. We use a simple tow behind electric sprayer with a gun to hit the trunks. It doesn't take long, although longer than broadcasting from an airplane :-)

I linked the label below if you are interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lorsban 4E

This post was edited by olpea on Sat, Jan 24, 15 at 19:09

When I asked if I needed to get my applicator license and spray the trunks I should have said "should I just apply to the trunks". It is restricted use so the applicator license is required if I go buy it. I had my commercial license in the past, so it wont be an issue to get the private license now. I just wasn't sure if it would be necessary to buy it and keep some stored in my shop. That part concerns me more being an organophosphate.

The broadcast aerial application I was thinking about was a dormant not folial spray only, in march. I hoped that there would be less beneficials out that early. The label allows for that and a trunk spray. Page 15 of the label. I had already studied it, I just didn't know if the dormant broadcast would do as good as the trunk spray.

Hman, is there a product you use that is not as bad as lorsban in your eyes? Im all for a trunk spray if I don't have to go take the test again, pay the $65, and store an organophosphate in the shop where the cats could knock it over. ;)

" It is restricted use so the applicator license is required if I go buy it."

Jag,

I linked the wrong label in my earlier post. I use Lorsban 75WG which is not restricted use. (see label below).

It comes in water soluble bags, so it won't spill.

The label does allow for a broadcast on tree fruits, but not for borers. Again I suspect this is because it is more effective as a coarse trunk spray.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lorsban 75WG

Jag, because of the residual affect Olpea mentions, (although I think it is about more than just the drench aspect- the material just plain lasts longer), you don't need to be so careful with it in terms of time of application.

Pyrethroids work against borers, but check this fact sheet for timing.

Lorsban has been restricted in NYS for a while and although I have a license for it I'm reluctant to buy it again because so little is needed to treat for borers and I will be stuck with a 20 year supply.

I'm almost out of the bag I bought 20 years ago.

Here is a link that might be useful: peach tree borers

Pg 27 of the 75wg label shows it does allow for dormant application for 3 different kinds of borers. A foliar application (pg 22) on sour cherry only controls 7 kinds of borers, but I think beneficials would be harmed by a foliar application.

I knew 4E was restricted, but didn't realize that 75wg wasn't. I wouldn't want to buy a whole bag of it for the reason Hman said. It would go forever. A 2.5 of 4E wouldn't be around near as long.

I didn't realize permetherin would do it. Trunk spray permetherin is my answer. In fact I mix a little bit in the paint I use against sunburn.

"Pg 27 of the 75wg label shows it does allow for dormant application for 3 different kinds of borers. A foliar application (pg 22) on sour cherry only controls 7 kinds of borers"

You're right. I'm so used to using it as a trunk spray (p. 28) I've forgotten the other applications and was relying on memory. Thanks for the correction.

Keystone pest solutions has Lorsban 75WG and as already pointed out it is listed for tree fruits and nuts. I was surprised to see that they had it, less than 1 year ago I couldn't find it anywhere including KPS.

http://www.keystonepestsolutions.com/labels/Lorsban_75WG.pdf

Going to cost you a shade over two bills for 6.65 lbs. delivered.

Six and a half pounds! That is the only way they are selling it? That's crazy. How are they going to deliver it if it can't be shipped with clothing or food? Not that it matters to any of us- who'd want to have to be responsible for that much poison when you can treat a home orchard with a few grams a year. Who are you going to leave the remainder for in your will?

Hman,

It may not be as bad as you think, for someone like you with a lot of trees to spray. The 6.5 lb. bag actually has 5 smaller water soluble packs inside (1.33 lbs.)

One soluble pack will make about 33 gal. of trunk spray.

I get mine from Midwest Grower Supply for $150/bag. I'm sure many CPS locations also carry it.

When I need it I will print a label and take a single bag from a commercial grower nearby. I mix up about a quart at a time and can spray about 40 peach trees with that using a hand sprayer.

How is this that much different than Imidan or anything else for that matter? Nobody really packages commercial grade insecticides for home use. SouthernAG does some stuff in smaller packages, but it's nearly as expensive as a much larger quantity and they don't sell Imidan or Lorsban retail.
Nobody says you have to use it just as a trunk spray for borers.
They're going to ship it UPS or FedEx or whatever, same as anything else.

Appleseed, CPS, my supplier, won't ship Imidan anymore, and I doubt they would ship Lorsban because UPS and FEDEX won't do it- or so they say. But maybe it is only because Imidan is flammable.

There are many pesticides that can't be shipped by common carrier. When the label says not to ship Lorsban with food or clothing- what does it mean- in the same box? Kindof doubt it. Meanwhile, there are also many commercial pesticide products they can send me.

Maybe your source is breaking the law and not revealing to the carrier what is in the box. What do you think?

I think when they say not to ship with food or clothing the do indeed mean in the same box or package.

When you have shipped things in the past you weren't asked what you were shipping. Now granted, that doesn't mean you should not declare it, but they are well aware they are shipping multitudes of potentially hazardous items everyday. If my source is breaking the law then there are scores of others doing exactly the same.

No, I don't think they are breaking the law, at least not one that anyone cares about otherwise great degrees of enforcement would be easily obtainable by anyone with simple access to the internet.

Wal-Mart sells all sorts of chemicals including pesticides and I can assure you they don't ship it in special trucks. Separate boxes probably, but those boxes go right in the same truck with the ammunition, diapers, toddler clothing and whatever else the order called for.

This post was edited by Appleseed70 on Tue, Jan 27, 15 at 4:38

CPS is probably the largest distributor of agricultural chemicals in the country and they seem to follow the letter of the law- perhaps because of greater scrutiny.

Homeowner products contain a fraction of the material of agricultural packaging, which changes the dynamic as far as eco. and health hazzard. This is probably the basis of varying restrictions of similar materials.

For instance, Asana, the pyrethroid I purchase, requires less than a cup per 100 gallons of water for spray mix and it comes in gallon jugs. It is restricted even though. as a poison, it is no more dangerous in spray form than triazide.

Yeah...you make good points. I'm not sure though as to what law CPS may be following since it seems we are unclear on just what the "law" says...if anything. Perhaps they are extra careful...if so, good on them.

Still there would be no issue with it's shipment. The fact that so many do it without issue is testimony to that.

If a container of bifenthrin leaked or a CFL containing mercury burst in a conex containing diapers there would still be a problem (potentially) and yet it remains. Wal-Mart isn't worried and neither are the major parcel carriers.

The likelihood of any issue is extraordinarily "unlikely" and obviously some diligence is required when receiving a package. If you received diapers that smell like Imidan you shouldn't be using them...for anything.

Hey they used to treat human lice with DDT. Imidan soaked diapers sound very useful.

I guess the CPO reps here in GA dont know the law. I ordered a 4lb bag of Imidan 70-W from a CPO rep in south GA a few weeks ago and it was shipped via UPS. Came is a regular cardboard box.

It may depend on the CPS office. I once tried to order Sevin XLR from CPS and they wouldn't ship it.

Midwest Grower Supply mostly delivers to me themselves, so it's not an issue.

Or you can shave a sliver of plastic off a fly strip bar (dichlorvos impregnated) and insert into borer hole. Then cap with a little wad of modeling clay or plumbers putty. Freeze the rest of the bar in a glass jar for future needs or else it will offgas completely in about 90 days. Freezing keeps it good forever.

The sliver offgasses in the borer hole, the clay keeps the fumes local, and the pest dies.

I discovered a borer "trap crop" by accident. A fig tree trunk died back from cold weather, and was subsequently filled with hundreds of borers the following spring/summer. I have many fig trees and they never get borers unless a branch or trunk dies. Healthy fig wood does not attract borers.
I freeze fresh borers like this for goldfish treats. The wood crumbles easily to reveal tons of them.

It may vary state to state as well. Southern states are much more relaxed about pesticide issues than much of the rest of the country.