# Your friendly aerial applicator giving the Northwest guys a heads up.



## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

*Re: You friendly aerial applicator giving the Northwest guys a heads up.*

Good thing we have knowledgeable people who are actively trying to help from that industry. I am so blessed to be in an area without a lot of need for applications of pesticides.


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## jrbbees (Apr 4, 2010)

*Re: You friendly aerial applicator giving the Northwest guys a heads up.*

Thumbs-Up FLY-GUY!


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## flyguy (Oct 16, 2011)

*Re: You friendly aerial applicator giving the Northwest guys a heads up.*

Thanks for the thoughts. 

I meant "Your" in the title by the way.

I just think this one could be really bad if we aren't all on the same page. It's not like we never spray insecticide on the spuds now but it just usually gets thrown in with a fungicide/fertilizer shot at lesser frequency. If they start doing a 7 to 10 day rotation they will be supplementing the fungicide shots with straight insecticide shots. That won't leave much room to have to move hives and then move back and then move right back out again, etc. I am also wary of the spud applications as they are one of the few crops that flowers while we are spraying them AND the law says it's ok so most guys don't even think about the locations of hives.


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## flyguy (Oct 16, 2011)

*Re: You friendly aerial applicator giving the Northwest guys a heads up.*

Just checking back in for a further advisory. Still a lot up in the air (no pun intended) about ZC but it is gaining focus and concern. 
Here are a few pieces of the most recent information on ideas and plans. There are also specific product choices listed in the one PDF. 
Now you all will know as much as I know.

ZC Northwest planning and control article; http://zebrachipscri.tamu.edu/files...nagement_of_Psyllids_in_Pacific_Northwest.pdf

Capital Press article (most recent); http://www.capitalpress.com/idaho/JO-ZebraChip-0322712

I'll get back as this develops but for now most of the spuds are in the ground with an in-furrow neonic at planting. We will see which specific routes growers begin to take as the beginning of June arrives.


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## flyguy (Oct 16, 2011)

*Re: You friendly aerial applicator giving the Northwest guys a heads up.*

It does look like we are going to pretty much do the first two applications no matter what is happening due to the serious nature of these bugs. Then it sounds like we could go to situation normal with normal 14-21 day rotations and average insecticide use if they aren't finding any psyllids, or we will keep hammering 7-14 day insecticide rotations if a few psyllids are found.

I would caution everyone again to smart placement of boxes and taking a drive or getting on the phone to figure out if spuds are within whatever distance you don't want chemicals within from your boxes. I was out this morning in my people plane just kind of getting a feel for the lay of the land this year and spotted a complete fail on placement. Maybe he is planning on moving them in the next couple of weeks but if not it's setting us all up for failure. 
The scenario; 
15 or so boxes about 100 feet from a hilled up spud pivot that has already had a neonic shanked in at planting. They are on the east side so the prevailing 40 mph hour winds will carry the dust right to the boxes for the next couple of weeks while it blows and the spuds aren't up yet. Don't know if that matters or not but the neonic's seem really hard on bees and I'm assuming that there may be some soil residual. Of course they are down in a little low spot between two little 20 foot ridges so they probably won't be too visible to a fieldman or farmer scouting the field in a pickup at ground level either. Yes, I see them from the plane (in this case with no trees) but again, once the load is mixed, pushed, off the ground, and the farmer has shut the water off it's a little late to realize that someone wasn't thinking. 
I am going to find out who's they are, but here again, I am one of the few actually looking and trying regardless of legality.
If this thing gets crazy this is the kind of setup that will equal dead bees and I don't think it's necessary. Boxes 100 feet from a field that looks like it will get 4 to 6 shots of insecticide (with one in the ground now!) between three weeks ago and the end of July, including while it FLOWERS. 
Why? I tried to post a pic I took to illustrate but something in the bb software isn't allowing the upload, sorry.
Let's all help each other out here.


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## flyguy (Oct 16, 2011)

Guys/Gals,
Since we are getting closer and have a handle on many of the specific products to be used I have spent the afternoon looking over labels of possible products. 
You'll be happy to know (I hope) that one of the main products suggested, Movento, has a bee statement saying that it is potentially toxic to larvae but NOT adults bees. Of course they can still bring residues back. I will keep reading for now.


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## flyguy (Oct 16, 2011)

Although there certainly are products on the list advertised as toxic to bees two more suggested products, Beleaf and Onager, are also lacking a "toxic to bees" statement on their labels.
If this goes the way it sounds now a good portion of the product we will be using are not advertised as toxic to bees by the manufacturer. NOT saying we shouldn't still be paranoid, just that it is shaping up a bit lighter than I thought it might so far.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

*Re: You friendly aerial applicator giving the Northwest guys a heads up.*



flyguy said:


> I tried to post a pic I took to illustrate but something in the bb software isn't allowing the upload, sorry.


You may find it easier to open a free Photobucket.com account, upload photos to Photobucket, and link them here. Photobucket will even provide the link code.


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## flyguy (Oct 16, 2011)

*Re: You friendly aerial applicator giving the Northwest guys a heads up.*

Thanks, never tried one of these deals!

So the little white dots are the boxes and you can kind of see that they are sitting in sagebrush with bare ground around. That bare ground is the little ridge top. Hopefully that will illustrate the little hole they are sitting in a bit better.
I know that in the past this type of setup is what many were looking for. Down low, a bit more out of the wind, and out of sight. But out of sight doesn't allow anyone to see them BEFORE the rec is written, chemical delivered, mixed, pushed, and off the ground. I believe that is important when trying to keep everyone in the loop. I believe (I will know this morning when I call the farmer.) that unfortunately the dry ground is not owned by the adjacent farmer so unless the keeper especially went to the grower to advise him of placement the grower wouldn't know, especially if he can't see them from the field edge from a pickup or tractor being down in a hole. 

http://s1061.photobucket.com/albums/t478/flyguy731/?action=view&current=2012-05-06102605.jpg


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