In today’s Almond Matters, brought to you by Valent, using an insect growth regulator to control pests such as twospotted spider mites and Pacific mites requires appropriate timing for applications to get the most efficacy. Manager of Field Development for Valent USA Pat Clay noted that Zeal can be effective in a wide range of conditions if applied correctly.
“You do want to make sure that you have a population that’s starting to build as far as the mites are concerned and then you want several hours rain-free after the application just to make sure that the material is set,” said Clay. “Probably one of the most important things is just being sure to get really good coverage of the trees going with a high volume of water, making sure the sprayer is calibrated and delivering what you think it’s delivering just to make sure that that coverage is optimal.”
An insect growth regulator works best after scouting to determine when there are immature stages of the pest present. “It’s going to sterilize the eggs that are there when the application is made, as well as it sterilizes the female mite and then as each immature mite molts to the next stage it will die,” Clay noted. “The adults are not directly impacted in that they’re not killed. So, the effect of the product may not be fully realized for 10 to 14 days after the application.”
If there are a large number of adults present, a knockdown type of material may be required to lower their numbers initially. After that, an insect growth regulator should be able to control mite populations. “You want to be patient, it will take a little bit of time to work. If you go out and check the fields at seven days after application you may still see live mites but know that the product is still working and that those populations will come down,” said Clay.
Listen to the report below.