What are the effects of too much insecticide??

gssgarden · May 15, 2017

If any. Plants are about 2 feet, small fruit, but Aphids are here to stay and they're getting on my nerves!

It seems like I can spray every night! Using Sevin and have given them a full spray twice, top to bottom, stems, but every night I still see leaves covered in them so I hit the masses to keep them in check...so I think.

Can spraying too often harm the plant? Production? Cause an illness?

Thanks in advance,

Greg

Country Breeze · May 15, 2017

Yes spraying too much can cause problems. Toxicity to people, beneficial insects and the plant can happen. Gotta read the label and follow it.

Did you spray under the leaves? Sevin kills for weeks, no need to spray everyday. I know you said you sprayed top and bottom, but aphids are normally under the leaves.

b54red · May 16, 2017

Sevin is a poison that is most effective against chewing insects. Aphids are sucking insects so they need a contact poison like Permethrin or Malathion if you are going to use poison. When they are really bad I mix up a bit of Permethrin and Dawn dish washing liquid in water and spray all surfaces top and bottom. I wait an hour or so then spray the plant with a water hose using a fine but strong spray washing most of the soap and dead aphids off. I then repeat the spray the next morning and leave it on and see how they are doing in a day or two. If aphids are still a big problem I will use the same mixture but add food grade diatomaceous earth which has been mixed with water and strained into the sprayer along with the soap and Permethrin. This will leave a fine film of DE on the plants which will kill many or most of the juvenile aphids right after they hatch out.

If you can get a big supply of ladybugs into your garden quickly they will do a good job of handling most aphid problems without any pesticides. I had a bad problem with aphids on my pepper plants early in the season and there were no ladybugs present at the time so I used the Dawn and Permethrin mix a few times and washed the plants off each time an hour or so after spraying them. I started seeing a few ladybugs showing up to feast on the aphids so I didn't re-apply the mix and in a week or so I had a good population of ladybugs and a much smaller aphid problem.

Sevin is good for things like cucumber beetles, potato beetles, all types of caterpillars and chewing worms but not so much for things like aphids and whitefles.

Bill

zipcode · May 16, 2017

Aphids shouldn't be all that hard to kill using the right chemicals. One application every month or so should be enough.
Don't overdo it, toxic is toxic, and you poison your soil as well, who knows how fast these things degrade.

**mdvpc** · May 16, 2017

I had horrible aphid problems when we lived in El Paso-both in my outside garden and in my greenhouse. I bought some green lacewings and in a short time, the problem was solved. If spraying isnt doing the job, you can consider green lacewings.

Country Breeze · May 16, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

Sevin is a poison that is most effective against chewing insects. Aphids are sucking insects so they need a contact poison like Permethrin or Malathion if you are going to use poison. When they are really bad I mix up a bit of Permethrin and Dawn dish washing liquid in water and spray all surfaces top and bottom. I wait an hour or so then spray the plant with a water hose using a fine but strong spray washing most of the soap and dead aphids off. I then repeat the spray the next morning and leave it on and see how they are doing in a day or two. If aphids are still a big problem I will use the same mixture but add food grade diatomaceous earth which has been mixed with water and strained into the sprayer along with the soap and Permethrin. This will leave a fine film of DE on the plants which will kill many or most of the juvenile aphids right after they hatch out.

If you can get a big supply of ladybugs into your garden quickly they will do a good job of handling most aphid problems without any pesticides. I had a bad problem with aphids on my pepper plants early in the season and there were no ladybugs present at the time so I used the Dawn and Permethrin mix a few times and washed the plants off each time an hour or so after spraying them. I started seeing a few ladybugs showing up to feast on the aphids so I didn't re-apply the mix and in a week or so I had a good population of ladybugs and a much smaller aphid problem.

Sevin is good for things like cucumber beetles, potato beetles, all types of caterpillars and chewing worms but not so much for things like aphids and whitefles.

Bill

That is good to know. I've not used Sevin in a long time and thought it worked on sucking insects. Thankfully aphids are not much of an issue in my garden. What little I do find I take care of with soapy water.

Keiththibodeaux · May 16, 2017

When it comes to pesticides, the law is the label. My advice is to follow those instructions. If it is not working, try another insecticide. We have very real environmental issues for the over use of pesticides, aka insecticides and herbicides. We should all try not to add to that problem.

brownrexx · May 16, 2017

Not only are the instruction there to protect the environment but do you want to be eating Sevin just for the sake of getting rid of some aphids?

Just because something kills insects does not mean that it does not harm humans.

oakley · May 16, 2017

Slow down and read about the aphid's life cycle. And soil health.
Your garden is way out of balance if you are killing off everything with the wrong
product and still have the initial problem not solved.
-i don't use it or would i trust much on that label.

May 15, 2017	#1
gssgarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,827	What are the effects of too much insecticide?? If any. Plants are about 2 feet, small fruit, but Aphids are here to stay and they're getting on my nerves! It seems like I can spray every night! Using Sevin and have given them a full spray twice, top to bottom, stems, but every night I still see leaves covered in them so I hit the masses to keep them in check...so I think. Can spraying too often harm the plant? Production? Cause an illness? Thanks in advance, Greg

May 16, 2017	#5
mdvpc Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 4,386	I had horrible aphid problems when we lived in El Paso-both in my outside garden and in my greenhouse. I bought some green lacewings and in a short time, the problem was solved. If spraying isnt doing the job, you can consider green lacewings. __________________ Michael

May 15, 2017	#2
Country Breeze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: On The Mason Dixon Posts: 93	Yes spraying too much can cause problems. Toxicity to people, beneficial insects and the plant can happen. Gotta read the label and follow it. Did you spray under the leaves? Sevin kills for weeks, no need to spray everyday. I know you said you sprayed top and bottom, but aphids are normally under the leaves.

May 16, 2017	#3
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Sevin is a poison that is most effective against chewing insects. Aphids are sucking insects so they need a contact poison like Permethrin or Malathion if you are going to use poison. When they are really bad I mix up a bit of Permethrin and Dawn dish washing liquid in water and spray all surfaces top and bottom. I wait an hour or so then spray the plant with a water hose using a fine but strong spray washing most of the soap and dead aphids off. I then repeat the spray the next morning and leave it on and see how they are doing in a day or two. If aphids are still a big problem I will use the same mixture but add food grade diatomaceous earth which has been mixed with water and strained into the sprayer along with the soap and Permethrin. This will leave a fine film of DE on the plants which will kill many or most of the juvenile aphids right after they hatch out. If you can get a big supply of ladybugs into your garden quickly they will do a good job of handling most aphid problems without any pesticides. I had a bad problem with aphids on my pepper plants early in the season and there were no ladybugs present at the time so I used the Dawn and Permethrin mix a few times and washed the plants off each time an hour or so after spraying them. I started seeing a few ladybugs showing up to feast on the aphids so I didn't re-apply the mix and in a week or so I had a good population of ladybugs and a much smaller aphid problem. Sevin is good for things like cucumber beetles, potato beetles, all types of caterpillars and chewing worms but not so much for things like aphids and whitefles. Bill

May 16, 2017	#4
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	Aphids shouldn't be all that hard to kill using the right chemicals. One application every month or so should be enough. Don't overdo it, toxic is toxic, and you poison your soil as well, who knows how fast these things degrade.

May 16, 2017	#7
Keiththibodeaux Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Louisiana Posts: 587	When it comes to pesticides, the law is the label. My advice is to follow those instructions. If it is not working, try another insecticide. We have very real environmental issues for the over use of pesticides, aka insecticides and herbicides. We should all try not to add to that problem.

May 16, 2017	#8
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	Not only are the instruction there to protect the environment but do you want to be eating Sevin just for the sake of getting rid of some aphids? Just because something kills insects does not mean that it does not harm humans.

May 16, 2017	#9
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	Slow down and read about the aphid's life cycle. And soil health. Your garden is way out of balance if you are killing off everything with the wrong product and still have the initial problem not solved. -i don't use it or would i trust much on that label.