Diazinon replacements...not!

I moved this year and the new house had a poor lawn. I have much improved it but I am having grub problems. I have tried 3 of the products now in the stores: season lawn control, triacide?, and sevin. None have worked, peel up a patch of sod and I still see live grubs each time!

Diazanon worked without fail in the past but is now unavailable. Any suggestions for something that really works. (Other than a 55 gal drum of Malathion concentrate applied directly. That is what the guy at the local home center jokenly reccommended.)

Jim

Reply to
germ
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I wish I'd known that diazanon was being outlawed -- I would have bought a gallon of it like I did dursban. I still have about a pint of 50% diazanon; that ought to last me a long time cuz I don't use it much (I just like to have it available.)

I think there's a natural grub killer call "milky spore". I don't know much about it because grubs are not a big problem here.

Or maybe you just need to turn some moles loose in your yard.

Best regards, Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

That or letting your lawn grow a little longer closer to 4 inches and the starlings would like to come in and help out a little. Colleen Zone 5 CT

Reply to
GrampysGurl

The damage is getting severe. I could feed an army of starlings for a month in the grubs in the front yard alone.

I pulled up about two square feet in a browning area before writing my first post and found 12-15 grubs! Not to mention my annuals look like I hit them with RoundUp, the one Nasturtium I pulled up had 3 of those parasites attached.

Jim

Reply to
germ

Yeah, get the soil healthy and use beneficial nematodes and you won't have grubs.

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Reply to
escapee

Do you think they outlawed it because of it's greatness? It is a neurotoxin and can kill you, cause cancer, and a whole host of other neuro diseases. How silly people are.

V

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Reply to
escapee

I think they outlawed it because stupid people were spraying it on golf courses (against the label directions) and killing people, or broadcasting it by the hundreds of pounds on their lawns whether they had grubs or not and contaminating the ground water. I don't think they banned it because I use it once or twice every July to spray my apple tree to prevent apple maggots because malathion isn't strong enough. (it is listed for this.)

Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

Depending on where you are located, you are over-estimating the problem. The eastern half of the country is bothered by the larvae of June beetles and chafer bugs, but you need to see double the amount you are reporting (a dozen or more grubs per square FOOT) to have a problem that requires treatment. In the western portion of the country, the culprit is crane fly larvae, but treatment for these guys is not recommended until populations exceed 30 per square foot.

Maintaining a healthy lawn is the best remedy - grunbs will infest lawns that are stressed first. Reduce the amount of fertilizer you apply, mow long and water less often but more deeply. These practices will encourage your lawn to develop a deep root system, making it much less likely to appeal to the grubs, which feed on surface roots. Plus, lawns which are allowed to dry out between waterings make the environment inhospitable for the grubs, which require specific moisture levels to survive. The first thing you want to do is reset your irrigation system if you have one - that daily or every other day watering for 10-15 minutes is wreaking havoc. It is wasting water, encouraging shallow root development and provides the ideal conditions for grubs to proliferate. If the populations do increase to treatment levels (you are NOT there yet), beneficial nematodes are the recommended treatment, but you must time their application to the life cycle of the specific pest.

Contact your county extension agent for details. This link may help.

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whatever is plaguing your annuals is unlikely to be the same problem, but the same principals apply. Avoid excessive fertilizing, stay away from chemical treatments that reduce the populations of benefical insects and water intelligently.

Anyone that favors a lawn to the point that they are willing to apply banned and extremely dangerous pesticides needs to re-examine their priorities.

pam - gardengal

Reply to
Pam - gardengal

Not sure where you're located, but I believe in this area (northwest Florida) Talstar is used with good results.

A local store that I buy from has a web site that lists various products and the appropriate usage. They're at

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if you don't buy from them, the info on the site can give you a good lead on some products you might find locally. (I can't see having a big bag of whatever shipped to you as being very cost efficient.) I'm not in any way affiliated with this store other than being a satisfied customer.

Tony

Reply to
Tony

A few years ago while visiting my home town nursery, I saw a grandpa and grandma buying sacks of every pesticide in the place. Malthion, diazinon, you name it. They mentioned that their grandkids were coming over for the weekend and they were making the yard nice for them to play in........ Better living through chemical cocktails.........

Reply to
cat daddy

I did not ask this question to start a war. Pesticides have their place. I prefer to use as few as possible. I spot treat for weeds with a hand sprayer, cut the grass long, and only use organic fertilizers on the lawn. The problem is my lawn is in very poor condition. (I got it in this condition.) I guess I agree that I have a marginal grub problem, but the lawn was already open and patchy and it is getting worse as the grubs concentrate on the once healthier areas. I am actually kind of peeved that I have had to use three different poisons on my lawn and still with no results.

All that 'escapee' wrote is true, but as a pesticide it NEEDS to have those properties. Just like a gun would not be a gun if it did not kill. As for why Diazinon was banned. Newer research found that it might be a special hazard to children. Under new EPA regs, to keep it on the market manufacturers would have had to do new expensive tox studies. The margins were just not there for the product. So they and the EPA signed consent decree to phase out residential uses.

Quot>

I think they outlawed it because stupid people were spraying it on golf courses (against the label directions) and killing people, or broadcasting it by the hundreds of pounds on their lawns whether they had grubs or not and contaminating the ground water. I don't think they banned it because I use it once or twice every July to spray my apple tree to prevent apple maggots because malathion isn't strong enough. (it is listed for this.)

Bob

Reply to
germ

You didn't say where you are Jim, but County Extension Service Agents have good information on how to take care of problems like yours.

Do a Google search for ("Your County") Extension Service.

Regards,

Hal

Reply to
Hal

Diazinon is an organophosphate, a neurotoxin. All pesticides classified as organophosphates have been reclassified as restricted use pesticides as current research has shown that their attributes are far outweighed by their health hazards. Diazinon residue is present in approximately 75% of residences tested and is very long lasting.

Pesticides do not have to be environmental or health hazards to be effective. Beneficial nematodes and milky spore ARE considered pesticides (bio-organic ones to be sure but pesticides nonetheless).

Concentrate on bringing your lawn back to health before heading for the chemicals. You may find you don't need any afterall.

pam - gardengal

Reply to
Pam - gardengal

Everything you see, touch, smell, hear or consume has some form of cancer causing agent in it.

Grandpa

Reply to
Grandpa

I feel your pain. Thanks to Diazinon my grub problem went away several years ago. If it returns I still have 2 qt containers that'll last me for a LONG time. I've used Garden Techs Sevin for ant control in my garden walkways to no avail. Mixed as prescribed, nada, doubled it, still won't kill the ants. Thats it on that product for me. Either the bugs are mutating or the products are getting worse.

Grandpa

germ wrote:

Reply to
Grandpa

Actually, a single armadillo can rid your lawn of grubs in less than a week.

I purchased liquid diazinon a couple of months ago at either Lowes or Home Depot. When did it get banished?

Reply to
Pam Gibbs

I got a recommendation from a professional applicator. On a timing basis it is too late to control this year with nematodes and/or milky spore and many commercial chemicals. The only thing he could offer is to use a pyrethrum/permethrin as a knock down insecticide, and combine it with imidacloprid for a lasting hit. In other words use two things together that mimic diazinon's quick knockdown and 30 day half life.

I could start a regimen of inoculating the soil with milky spore to get protection for the future.

Jim

several

Reply to
germ

I don't care what you "think." I care that diazinon was marketed in about 40 different trade names, sold in different type bottles, by different companies and what's more stunning is that you use it anywhere, let alone on something you will eat.

Do as you will. I find your glib answer alarming and if this remotely represents how people in the world feel about neurotoxins, organophosphate's and the like, it's frightening.

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Reply to
escapee

So maybe you need a fourth. Try using beneficial nematodes. I guarantee if you water properly, stop using pesticides, and use certified organic fertilizer with a nice top dress ONCE with about a fourth inch of compost you will get rid of the problem. If you recently used pesticides, all three of them, nematodes will most likely be killed.

Oh, you didn't start a war. You got very thoughtful information from several people, both synthetic and organic remedies.

The fight to remove it from the market went on for a really long time. There are superior remedies which have been outlined here. You tried using synthetic pesticides by your own admission and have not had success. You used three types. Doesn't that tell you something? You are literally killing everything useful in the soil. If you had the biota which a healthy soil has, this problem would not exist.

Yeah, so doesn't that bother you? All some of us are saying is that you are killing your soil, and your turf is not recovering because of it. There is a wonderful book called Secrets to Great Soil. It's one of the best books on soil, particularly for people who don't want to read lengthy blather which makes no sense. Maybe your library has it.

Victoria

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Reply to
escapee

You only need use milky spore once for a 20 year management of grubs. It works. Make sure you see if there is a date on the bag. I do believe it is dated, but I could be wrong. You will have much better success using the techniques listed in prior posts.

Victoria

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Reply to
escapee

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