Landscape and Nursery - Systemic Insecticide Products

The following is information on systemic insecticide products for use in the landscape.

Imidacloprid: Bayer Company has released a slow release imidacloprid tablet that is inserted into the root zone of a tree and is being marketed under the trade name CoreTect. In trials in which hemlocks were treated for control of hemlock wooly adelgid a one-time treatment with the slow release formulation gave some control in the first year, improved control in the second year and 100 % control in the 3rd and 4th years after treatment. This material appears to have potential for longer term control of hemlock wooly adelgid.

Dinotefuran (Safari) : This neonicotinoid is 80 times more water soluble than imidacloprid and uptake is very rapid. It appears that dinotefuran works well for rescue treatments because of its rapid uptake by the plant. In applications made for control of whitefly it is giving knockdown within hours. It appears that it should be applied when plants are actively growing and transpiring. If you are trying to control aphids with dinotefuran it would be best to make a soil application. Foliar applications appear to be less consistent in control of aphids.

Reprinted from the March 20, 2009 edition of the TPM/IPM Weekly Report for Arborists, Landscape Managers & Nursery Managers, University of Maryland Cooperative Extension