Bug spray ... is it really that bad ?

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rogertb

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Bug spray ... is it really that bad ?
« on: July 16, 2018, 08:00 »
Hi chaps ... I have tried and tried to get rid of the blackfly on my plot but had to dig up the broad beans and now the runners and french are being pestered by the pests, I've tried squirting with wash-up liquid etc etc but am tempted to try a bug spray form the store ... are these really dangerous to use everyone seems against them

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Lardman

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Re: Bug spray ... is it really that bad ?
« Reply #1 on: July 16, 2018, 08:30 »
Assuming you mean proper garden insecticides rather than house fly spray.

It's a personal thing, and you'll get a wide variety of answers  :nowink: We've been spraying much worse on our foods for years and most if not all of the stuff you buy in the shops will have been sprayed with something at some point.

If you want to use it feel free to, that's what it's sold for. I spray when things get too bad to squish.

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rogertb

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Re: Bug spray ... is it really that bad ?
« Reply #2 on: July 16, 2018, 08:35 »
Thanks Lardman, just about what I was thinking ... I wasn't intending to cover the whole plot with poison but a lot of work goes into raising these plants and I'm struggling to get rid of the blighters with soapy water !

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JayG

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Re: Bug spray ... is it really that bad ?
« Reply #3 on: July 16, 2018, 09:12 »
At least some of the bug sprays for edible crops are based on plant oils and as such must surely be considered as 'safe' as you could reasonably expect any insecticide to be. An example of this is Bugclear Fruit and Veg gun, and it's claimed you can harvest the crops the same day as spraying. Not tried it so can't vouch for its effectiveness though.

Having said that, I find that spraying with very dilute washing up liquid does work (not necessarily 100% first time, and not EU approved as an insecticide, although I of course am actually using it because I like my plants to be nice and clean. ;))
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mumofstig

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Re: Bug spray ... is it really that bad ?
« Reply #4 on: July 16, 2018, 10:41 »
This year the blackfly was horrendous on my French and runner beans, the usual squishing and soapy water spraying, wasn't really making any difference, so  I did end up bug spraying last Monday.
The plants are already beginning to recover :) so for me, as a last resort, it was worth spraying.

« Last Edit: July 16, 2018, 10:42 by mumofstig »

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mrs bouquet

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Re: Bug spray ... is it really that bad ?
« Reply #5 on: July 16, 2018, 14:17 »
The broad beans have gone to the blackfly.  So its probably a spray soon.  Mrs Bouquet
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snowdrops

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Re: Bug spray ... is it really that bad ?
« Reply #6 on: July 16, 2018, 14:57 »
Nope not for me, many years ago my dad & FIL kept telling me to spray my first attempts at broad beans & runners & I refused wanting to be as near organic as I could. I lost them both but wow tge next year, the lady birds I had  kept all the bugs under control. That was enough to convince me, 30+ years & I still stick to it.
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robinahood

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Re: Bug spray ... is it really that bad ?
« Reply #7 on: July 16, 2018, 17:46 »
I have noticed a lot of blackfly, but also loads of ladybird larvae, so I have left them to it. I  have recently read an article about the massive decrease in pollinator numbers in my lifetime,  said to be largely due to a cocktail of chemicals in the environment, so I won't be adding to them.

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al78

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Re: Bug spray ... is it really that bad ?
« Reply #8 on: July 17, 2018, 13:19 »
The question is what effect does it have on beneficial wildlife? There is the danger that you end up killing off the predators as well as the pests, so you end up with a big food source with no predators, and new pests come in, with no predators to knock the numbers down, they multiply in bigger numbers than before. This locks you into a vicious cycle of spray, plague, spray, plague etc. I would rather check regularly for blackfly and run my fingers up the stems squishing them as I find them.



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