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Catterpillers

Last post 14-10-2009 11:57 AM by bogweevil. 3 replies.

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  • 30/08/2009 12:12 PM
    • Big Phil
    • Grays Essex
    • 19 Apr 2009
    • 18
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    Hi all and hope all is well..... I was looking on the internet for a product to kill catterpillers on my strawberry plants and came across Dipel  it contains bacillus thurengiensis or BT says its safe to use around bees etc. the problem I have I cant seem to buy it in the uk ??? is they a differant name or product on the market in the UK??

    Do you know of a good product that is safe to use on fruit and veg that is bee freindly??

    Phil

    Big Phil
  • 30/08/2009 05:20 PM
    In reply to
    Top 10 Contributor
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    Although a professional product is offered in Britain the enormous cost of leaping through all the hoops to make sure it absolutely safe and can cope with any level of incompetence in the user means that it is not economic to offer it to home gardeners. Amateur pesticides have to be fantastically safe and are in fact said to be safer then shampoo... I have used the professional product and it is very good - one of the few cases where an organic control is as good as synthetic ones. Any of the caterpillar controls (pyrethrums and bifenthrin) will spare bees if you refrain from applying it to plants in flower, or if you must treat such plants do it at dusk when the bees have gone home. Boggy

    Beware the bat-eared bogweevil
  • 13/10/2009 07:21 PM
    In reply to
    • humbug
    • 13 Oct 2009
    • 1
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    We've just returned from Canada where my sister-in-law recommended BTK from a company called Safer's. We brought back three 100ml bottles and the dosage is 3ml per litre of water, so they should last a good while.

     I found it also on sale on Amazon, though you may have to access the American amazon.com website.

     What is it called for commercial use?

    Roger

  • 14/10/2009 11:57 AM
    In reply to
    Top 10 Contributor
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    Technically it is illegal to use American pesticides in Britain.  Its UK commercial name is Dipel: http://www.fargro.co.uk/insecticides.htm 

     Being a bacterial protien it does not have a particularly good shelf life compared to synthetic products.

     Older gardeners and ones with the necessary certificates of competance can use the professional material.

     

    Boggy

    Beware the bat-eared bogweevil