Hello, I had squash beetles last year in my vegatable garden and had the most difficult time with them...any ideas? I have also seen them in my house, so i'm guessing there are eggs which means more this year. I've been recommended Sevin, however what about kids and pets? Thanks for any help.
Sevin would be the last thing I'd do. Try mechanical removal (pick them off by hand) and check the plants daily. If chemicals must be used, try a natural pyrethrum product. Much safer.
Sevin is extremely toxic, try to avoid the use of this if at all possible. Kids and pets you ask, they don't mix. You will find the label on this page for Sevin if you want to see what it can be used for. http://www.growercentral.com/index....familyID=169825&CFID=4200153&CFTOKEN=62444824 Don't be fooled by the natural way Pyrethrins are derived. They are by far safe for humans or pets. To give you an idea of toxicity, all pesticides have lethal dose values {LD50}'s. .............. Oral exposure .... Dermal exposure Sevin ........ 400mg/kg .... 2000mg/kg Diazinon ...... 300mg/kg .... 2150mg/kg Pyrethrins ... 200mg/kg .... 1800mg/kg This is: Miligrams of pesticide / Kilogram of body weight. If you are succumb to these amounts listed above, you have a 50% chance of dying. The lower the number the more toxic it is. As you can see, although Pyrethrins are safer for the environment, they are more toxic to us than Diazinon or even Sevin. These figure are from: The Pesticide Applicator and Dispensers Handbook. Issued by the Provincial Government of British Columbia. I was really bored and just thought I would throw this at you, It kind of disturbs me how Green Cross sells Pyrethrins as a safe and natural insecticide, while people get it all over there hands and clothes and breath it in, and are terrified of products like Round Up that have LD values about 10,000, basically non-toxic. Some other LD values. Gravol oral 400gm/kg, how many 20kg kids eat that before a car ride? Caffeine oral 300mg/kg Jim.
Don't forget Nicotine ! Available in every grocery store in the form of tobacco. Unlike the others pesticides mentioned, the pyrethrum has little or no residual. That is why it is used on food so extensively. Most the of the grains are treated with it before it ever gets to market. It IS safer than Sevin. And Diazinon is off the shelves in the U.S., as is every organophosphate, except for one. All of the carbamates ( which includes sevin) have a long residual too, and are slowly being removed from the shelves, one by one. Materials like those are not needed in the garden. I would stick to removal by hand, or pyrethrum if needed. PS. Sevin has been removed from store shelves before, and it will again. Wait and see.
