Diazinon replacements...not!

[zxcvbob]

I'm glad I didn't mention my stash of 74% chlordane (I'm saving it, just in case I ever have to deal with termites)

Bob

[tomjasz]

Minnesota Statutes 2003, Table of Chapters

Table of contents for Chapter 18B

18B.115 Sale or use of chlordane or heptachlor.

The state, a state agency, a political subdivision of the state, a person, or other legal entity may not sell, use, or apply the pesticide chlordane or its derivative heptachlor within the state.

HIST: 1989 c 326 art 5 s 28

Copyright 2003 by the Office of Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota.

Consider yourself reported Mr Bxxon, Olmsted County has vigorous inforcement......

[zxcvbob]

GFY. It doesn't say anything about possession of chlordane.

Minnesota doesn't have a subterranean termite problem worthy of chlordane use, but I don't intend to live here after I retire.

regards, bob

[Jim Voege]

Nothing about possession you say? Goodness, you're right. Not quite busted yet then. ;-)

Jim

[gary davis]

Hi Jim I have read all the posts to date and found them interesting. I have an experience with lawn larvae-leather jackets we call them here in BC, Canada. The ads on TV and radio told us that we had to use this that and the other thing to get rid of these nasty grubs or they will kill our lawns. So I thought I should try them...(damn, I got sucked in again)! But, I had some resistance to the use of pesticides so thought I will do my own experiment. I sprayed only half of my lawn. Almost instantly, I saw some results...birds! They were eating the grubs that were affected by the application of that pesticide. I ran out and tried to chase them away but when I returned to the house, back they would come. I can only imagine the affect this pesticide would have on their young. There was no difference between the sprayed lawn and the unsprayed lawn!!!!!! I have never used that baby bird killer product since! I have no idea what the problem is with your lawn. How many more pesticides are there that you could use? Maybe you should try dynamite. It probably won't solve the problem either but maybe the noise will make you happy. And as far as the 'harmful' larvae, well, give the birds a chance... Trusting Nature is not like trusting your local politician...Nature does not lie. Gary Fort Langley, BC Canada

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

What was the product you were using? Your description gives me an idea for an organic way to rid your lawn of grubs. [which might actually be what you applied]

Spray your lawn with a product that makes the soil uncomfortable for the grubs. [tabasco? something that makes it hard for them to breathe? . . .. ] When they come to the surface to escape, the birds get them. The trick would be in finding the product that is noxious to the grubs but the birds like to taste.

Jim

[Lar]

:) 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!

The Bayer product that contains imidacloprid works well. Can use it anytime during the growing season when other products (diazinon, sevin, whatever-thrin) are best used at key times to be effective. Should be able to find it at the Home Depot/Lowes type stores. But also, the large grubs you are seeing now are not doing the damage to your lawn..they are coming up to pupate to turn in to the beetle that is seen flying about at night. No matter what you use there is a good chance of seeing live ones this time of year that don't seem to be effected.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

It is said that the early bird gets the worm, but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

[Tom Jaszewski]

Interesting that you're concerned about ironite but willing to live with chlordane. That's weird! Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets. To plant a pine, one need only own a shovel.

-- Aldo Leopold

[zxcvbob]

Thanks for noticing. I'm a complex character.

There's a variety of reasons; some of them good and some probably rather dubious. I knew what I was buying when I got the chlordane -- a persistant insecticide that kills termites. AFAIK, there are still no good alternatives on the market. So my chlordane sits in its brown bottle as a kind of insurance that I hope I never need to use.

The ironite was sold as an iron- and trace element-rich fertilizer and general plant tonic. No mention that it was mine tailings from a toxic waste dump. No mention of the high levels of lead and arsenic (or mercury, I don't recall which.)

The chlordane eventually breaks down, although it takes many years. The heavy metals contaminants in the ironite don't break down, they just become more readily available as the ironite itself breaks down.

Best regards, Bob

one need only own a shovel.

[Lar]

:) AFAIK, there are still no :) good alternatives on the market.

For what it's worth, most of the "old timers" that have compared chlordane with one of the newer products called Termidor, say they prefer the performance of Termidor. Fewer call backs. Has to be applied by a pro though.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

It is said that the early bird gets the worm, but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.