[captainhastings]

My turnips have been hammered it was only today when i picked few turnip leafs I saw what it was. Oddly enough they seem to be leaving the purple broccoli alone so far.
I have a couple of rows of spinach looking good and the last thing I want is for that to be hit as holey leafs put the wife off
Any home made sprays i can use. I was thinking of garlic spray but then worried about the taste of leafs when the time comes

[sunshineband]

Home made sprays are not recommended.

Bayers Provada Ultimate Bug Control does the job, or you can cover the plants with environmesh or similar to exclude the adult beetles until the plants get big enough to withstand damage

[allotmentann]

You can also use sticky traps, you waft it above the plants, the beetles jump up and stick to it. They usually only attack the young leaves and leave the older ones alone.

[pink aubergine]

Although I am not totally organic, I am aware that some people may spray their crops without looking into the formulation in detail. Provado, although now registered to use on selected veg and fruit, is systemic and may give up to 6 weeks protection according to Bayers website. I certainly wouldn't fancy eating food with the active ingredient still working ! Also one has to either buy the product to read in the small print, or go searching around other websites to find out how many days one should leave between spraying and harvesting. It's 14 days for lettuce and brassicas.
I would suggest using either organic soap solution (insecticidal) or insect netting personally.

[captainhastings]

Thank you I will cover the spinach in a fleece that I have spare and I might try a sprinkle of flour on the turnips they are on or just let them carry on as at least they are staying off my broccoli

[maxie]

I was plagued with them myself,rocket and stuff i had to grow in tubs but not any good for turnips and such like.
The only way i could clean them up was to put chickens on in winter as i was getting overrun with pests on my plot.
Not much help i know ,but im not too keen on spraying my stuff with all kinds of chemicals but sometimes you have to.

[Salmo]

Home made sprays are not recommended.

Bayers Provada Ultimate Bug Control does the job, or you can cover the plants with environmesh or similar to exclude the adult beetles until the plants get big enough to withstand damage

The label on Bayer Ultimate Bug Killer is quite restrictive and no longer includes lettuce or brassicas.

House plants and ornamentals                                                  -   no harvest restiction applies
Glasshouse Toms, pepper, cucumber, aubergine, courgette     -    3 day interval before harvest
Soft fruit                                                                                     -   3 day interval before harvest
Potatoes                                                                                     -  14 day interval before harvest
Red beet, spinach beet                                                               -  35 day interval before harvest

Even if you decide to go against label recommendations, keep in mind the caution shown by Bayer with beet and spinach beet. Rocket, turnips and ordinary leaf spinach are not included.

In my experience flea beetles get under mesh, in fact the nice cosy atmosphere under there probably helps them to thrive. I have not found a solution to flea beetle. Keeping the ground moist does help.

Bayer UBK is a good product for soft fruit but Thiaclorid, the chemical ingredient, is one of those implicated in the latest research into bee destruction, so best not to use when in flower and certainly not in the daytime when bees are flying.

[mumofstig]

It's really confusing because they say
http://www.bayergarden.co.uk/en/data/Products/u/Provado-Ultimate-Fruit-,-a-,-Vegetable-Bug-Killer-Ready-to-Use.aspx

that it's got Deltamethrin in it, not Thiaclorid and can be used on lettuce    (Deltamethrin is a pyrethroid contact insecticide)

[captainhastings]

I actually have a Provada Ultimate Bug Control spray in the shed down the allotment I have only used it once on some small kale plants. I would rather not use it.
The turnips are big enough to survive I think and the spinach is now under a fleece so as long as they weren't all ready there hopefully it will be fine.
Thanks for the replies

[Salmo]

It's really confusing because they say
http://www.bayergarden.co.uk/en/data/Products/u/Provado-Ultimate-Fruit-,-a-,-Vegetable-Bug-Killer-Ready-to-Use.aspx

that it's got Deltamethrin in it, not Thiaclorid and can be used on lettuce    (Deltamethrin is a pyrethroid contact insecticide)

Why do Bayer do this? Two products -Bayer Ultimate Bug Killer- Bayer Ultimater Fruit and Vegetable Bug Killer, totally different chemicals and totally different uses. So easy to pick the wrong one off the shelf.

[pink aubergine]

Indeed, they are a big company who should know better. I know they are meant to clearly display the active ingredient  but as you say not everyone reads the labels in detail if the packaging looks the same.
People may be ingesting banned chemicals which can do them harm.

[mumofstig]

.
People may be ingesting banned chemicals which can do them harm.

Banned chemicals are quickly removed from shelves, so you really shouldn't be able to buy them.

If you have stuff in your shed that has been there ages - it's always best to check on-line before you use it.

[seaside]

If you have stuff in your shed that has been there ages - it's always best to check on-line before you use it.

What time scale would you recommend checking online with these chemicals MOS ?
Every day or every month ? and where should we check online for this information ? Do I need to check every time I use a product before it's printed use by date ?
Are you talking about the product degrading over time, or are you talking about retrospective health concerns ?

[mumofstig]

I'd check before the start of each growing year - keeps it simple.
 the RHS lists products that can no longer be used be used
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Help-advice/Garden-chemicals-and-pesticides

[pigguns]

My understanding is that one of the ones mentioned earlier in the thread will be banned in Europe from this December.