Bio warfare.....assembiling the troops in prep for the next invasion....

No idea, Angie, all I can suggest is contacting the seller and asking. They should know, I would have thought.

good idea Spritz, but thought i would see if any one has had experience of this, as the company suplying may just want to sell me as much as poss, to be honest don't always trust advice when someone selling something lol - proberly because previoulsy to being a florist i had numerous sales possitions so kinda know how this works lol but if all else fails may resort to that,

It does not pay to mix two or three solutions together, they each contain their own spreader. Too much spreader will only drain the spray to the ground.
You will clean up your own plants and shrubs, then get the pests and diseases from next door.
Codling moth is on apple fruit, it's slug worm on your rose.
Plan your spraying programme leaving gaps, you don't want to go to the dentist and doctor at the same time.

Thanks DrB, i kind of thought this might be the case, i did manage to keep on top of the horriblie little green munchers on the Roses last year, but thought if possible to do might make for light work. not to worry the Rose's need contant TLC anyway, i'll take that advice and just stick with the Slug control. - spray far cheaper than bio control anyway lol

OK Maj,
good luck
Forgot to say thank you for the kind words in the last thread.

Your welcome DrB, always honest with what i write, x

I agree wtih DrB that codling moth effects apples - I've not heard of it affecting anything else, but if it is codling moth you can get traps that work by releasing a pheramone (sp?) Ive used them and they work well and obviously are compatable with other treatments. Sarah.

mmmm, not sure what the bug is to be honest first year i have had a problem with them, horid little green things that look like catapillars and completely strip the leaves, and curl themselves up in the leaves, i had them on Roses and Geraniums (zonal types) mainly, but the biggest hit areas, are near to a huge apple tree growing in next doors garden, and i have seen these little green pests, hanging down on bits silky thead, from the washing line which is also in the 'drop zone' of this apple tree. i used a multi purpose spray last year, that seemed quite effective, also sorts out aphid, powdery mildew and black spot, so will defo have to invest in some more of this, but thanks for the advice Sid.

Don't think it's codling moth then - the adult moth lays her egg in the apple blossom and i think the grub stays in there and hatches out as a moth. I've seen those little green catapillars that hang down on threads - not had them in such great numbers as you seem to have tho. I'm hoping these good hard fronts we're getting at teh mo will kill off alot of these pests. S.

Maj,
The caterpillars doing bungy jumping are the larvae of the winter moth returning to the ground to pupate, will hatch out next October. Have they put on grease bands?.

thank you both for the advice, the multi purpose spray did seem to work, the reason i thought coding moth is because they are on the picture for this bio product that i was looking at, so assumed this is what they are called. grease bands DrB ? - not sure what you mean. so am i right in thinking, that they are lightly to be back with a vengence next year then? - wonderful! lol

Hi Maj,
The spray will not only kill codling moth, it will kill winter moth and many other good or bad insects.
The winter moth has no wings and comes out of pupae, which were the little devils bungy jumping, before having 40 winks. To control them from starting all over again, you catch the adults before they have any young. A grease band is put round the main trunk or trunks, also any supporting stakes or poles about two feet from the ground to stop it getting dirty from earth or bits splashed by rain or wind. You can buy grease bands, but you can make them with thin plastic and a strong tape to fix it top and bottom, remembering if the bark is rough below your plastic, you need grease in there as well. Petrolium jelly is the safest to use now and will need replacing from time to time. This process is performed in October.

Right i see, thanks Dr.Bob, the spray you are reffering to is it the cure all one that i use on roses, blue bottle from homebase called 'rose clear', or the bio control that i am thinking about getting? Cause i have used the spray for quite a few years, and always careful about how and when i apply, always after 7pm or early morning, as instructed on the bottle, because i know it can also harm bees/ladybirds etc if sprayed at the wrong time of day. i believe it is the type that works by going into the stem and leaves of the plant and will last anything up to 6 weeks, i generally don't use contact sprays as the effect soon wears off, so you have to constantly keep spraying for them to be effective and more damaging to other insects that may just be siting or visiting the plant rather than eating it lol - would you say i am safe using this one? also thanks for the tips on grease bands, i have'nt herd of them before, only problem is the tree is in next doors garden, only over looks mine, but i am quite friendly with my neighbour and he did say the apples were no good last year, would imagine this could have something to do with it? i will sagest this too him. once again thanks so much DrBob, as always very excellent advice.

Hi Angie,
Over the years it's been proved all methods of disease and pest control are a danger to all living things, animal or vegetable, we will never get back to being organic.
What ever time of day or night, life is active. Toxic sprays, dusts etc. are absorbed into the system, contact spray can be the same, some will fall to the ground, I now avoid chemicals. I try to remove pests by hand. Diseased plants I burn, wood smoke is less harmful to the enviroment.

i do try to be organic where i can, i stopped using slug pellets and now use the bio control, aphids if a mild infection i squash with fingers, but these green catapillars and black spot on roses, powdery mildew ect until irradicated do need treatment. this is a fairly new garden, but once you get the ballence right things should pretty much look after themselves, am i right in thinking that? i know quite a lot is insuring plants are well cared for, which mine are, and being on the look out for problems before they get hold, i do try to do this, and i do cut back anything that looks like a virus, don't have the room for a bombfire, but i don't compost them either. - usually go in my neighbours green bin, and off to the councils high temp compost site. while i hate to kill anything, and would like to be completely orgainc, i do very much agree with organic gardening, not always possible i think,

Hi again Angie,
We must stop meeting this way, my wife is getting suspicious. LOL
You're right it's impossible to be completely organic, we all contaminate the atmosphere, motor mowers, greenhouse boilers together with what I have already mentioned.
Practising good husbandry is always the best way to go in your garden.

lol, thanks Dr Bob, really do apreciate all the help, and if you ever need some advice on flowers for Mrs. DrB, i'm the girl to ask and would be happy to return the favor.