[QUIST]

My neighbors have fruit trees and bushes (pear, apple, blueberry, blackberry, grape, strawberry). Is there any particular pesticide that I can give to them to use instead of them using sevin?

 

[Kieck]

Talk to them first about identifying problems and pests before using chemicals. They may not need to use as much chemical as they intend.

Then talk to them about timing spraying to reduce potential damage to pollinators (bees, especially, in your case). Spraying shortly after sundown can reduce the impact on honey bees. Spraying fruit trees after bloom will cause less damage to bees (no flowers, no bees around). Remember that they need pollination to produce their fruit crops, so protecting bees is in their best interests, too.

And then ask them to notify you before spraying if possible. You can confine bees temporarily to avoid the worst effects of spray if you know before the chemical is sprayed.

 

[Ardilla]

Dormant oil for the pear and apple prevents a lot of moths and shouldn't harm the bees. It shouldn't harm them because normally it is applied before the bloom and it has to coat the eggs/larva to work.

 

[Merlyn Votaw]

Contact your local county ag agent . He should know what you can and canot use and when. I spray my apples and peaches but may not be for the problem you have. different parts of counyr have different problems

 

[DavesBees]

Surround... it's just clay. Here is a link to more information on the product. It is talking about apples but it can be used on other fruit.
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/kaolin-clay-apples.html

 

[beedeetee]

I think that pretty much anything is better than Sevin. Early morning spraying will have less impact on bees than sunset to dark spraying. All of my hives are in my orchard and in fact some are under cherry trees do to space problems.

I always spray from dawn to sunrise and have never had a problem even though the hives themselves get wet from spray. This is mostly Diazinon and Malathion along with fungicides.

Don't spray anything that is blooming.

 

[Michael Bush]

I use nothing on my frit trees... but then I'm a beekeeper... I've heard of people using dish soap, but I'm not sure what they were trying to kill...

 

[Fl_Beak]

We'll use soap, NOT antibacterial, just cheap liquid soap, for aphids and soft bodied insects like caterpillers. You do have to reapply frequently, at least down here. Something like a Tbsp/gallon, you could google a recipe online