# Kill mosquitos without killing bees?



## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

I know bifenthrin is bad for bees... is there an application method I can use to treat my fence, my little gem magnolia, and other areas in the yard without risking the bees?

Lots of mosquitos and gnats. Have a small stream in the backyard that I don't want to dump chemicals into, but it's usually moving and not standing water.


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## mjh648 (Sep 1, 2020)

as long as the pesticide doesn't get on the plants they are visiting it shouldn't be a problem right? Just have to be careful with wind and chemical drift.

That doesn't really answer your question but I found these articles

https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-53.pdf

http://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/bpp/insect_clinic/pests/pnw591.pdf


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

mjh648 said:


> as long as the pesticide doesn't get on the plants they are visiting it shouldn't be a problem right? Just have to be careful with wind and chemical drift.
> 
> That doesn't really answer your question but I found these articles
> 
> ...


Right, thats the issue. They hang out underneath the leaves of the plants bees visit


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## mjh648 (Sep 1, 2020)

SCGrassMan said:


> mjh648 said:
> 
> 
> > as long as the pesticide doesn't get on the plants they are visiting it shouldn't be a problem right? Just have to be careful with wind and chemical drift.
> ...


I'm trying to see what the chemical is actually called but my neighbors have those organic mosquito systems they swear by. Not sure how well it's studied and if that works well but that could be an option. I'll follow up if interested when he let's me know what it is.


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

This is the product I've been waiting to try out:

https://www.inzecto.com/
https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/091605-00002-20210225.pdf

Here's a description.
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEPhWeTdmKA[/media]


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## mjh648 (Sep 1, 2020)

@SCGrassMan well they mentioned it being organic and he sent me the label and it's permethrin so that's a little different than what I expected.


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## Ortho-Doc (Feb 3, 2019)

@SCGrassMan I have an email into Clemson extension service about this very question. I will post here the response I get back.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

mjh648 said:


> @SCGrassMan well they mentioned it being organic and he sent me the label and it's permethrin so that's a little different than what I expected.


Arsenic is organic, don't forget


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Ortho-Doc said:


> @SCGrassMan I have an email into Clemson extension service about this very question. I will post here the response I get back.


Awesome, I appreciate it! Might just need to get a bug zapper.


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## Ortho-Doc (Feb 3, 2019)

@SCGrassMan here is Clemson's response to my email. I sent them the active ingredients in the product my local spray company uses. I'd be surprised if there is any mosquito tx that also does not kill pollinators.

Fendona is a general purpose, kill many kinds of insects, synthetic pyrethroid insecticide. It will kill many beneficial pollinators if sprayed during the day time - if they are exposed to it. It is cypermethrin. But yes, it will kill mosquitos if they are out and being exposed. Being a micro-encapsulated form, it will last longer on shrubs, turfgrass, and other plants where the mosquitos may rest during the day (they often rest in shrubbery), as they contact the insecticide, it will kill them..

Nyguard IGR is an insect growth regulator that stops the life cycle of many kinds of insects. It is much safer (to people and pets) than an insecticide. It contains pyriproxyfen, which is photostable and can be used outdoors. It is often used indoors for roach and flea control, but used outdoors, too. It will stop the development of eggs into larvae, larvae into pupae, and pupae into adults of mosquitos and other pests. I suspect that the insect growth regulator might affect pollinators also.


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## superkaz661 (Apr 19, 2019)

Ortho-Doc said:


> @SCGrassMan here is Clemson's response to my email. I sent them the active ingredients in the product my local spray company uses. I'd be surprised if there is any mosquito tx that also does not kill pollinators.
> 
> Fendona is a general purpose, kill many kinds of insects, synthetic pyrethroid insecticide. It will kill many beneficial pollinators if sprayed during the day time - if they are exposed to it. It is cypermethrin. But yes, it will kill mosquitos if they are out and being exposed. Being a micro-encapsulated form, it will last longer on shrubs, turfgrass, and other plants where the mosquitos may rest during the day (they often rest in shrubbery), as they contact the insecticide, it will kill them..
> 
> Nyguard IGR is an insect growth regulator that stops the life cycle of many kinds of insects. It is much safer (to people and pets) than an insecticide. It contains pyriproxyfen, which is photostable and can be used outdoors. It is often used indoors for roach and flea control, but used outdoors, too. It will stop the development of eggs into larvae, larvae into pupae, and pupae into adults of mosquitos and other pests. I suspect that the insect growth regulator might affect pollinators also.


Look, Im no expert on this stuff, but I think if you followed Clemson's advice and sprayed Nygard at the exclusion of a pyrethroid/neonicotinoid, you'd have a significant mosquito problem.

As I understand it, an IGR functionally prevents molting, or proceeding to a subsequent stage of insect development. Which is great in theory, but with mosquitos being highly mobile insects, unless you are able to catch them at every local breeding site, the matured adults can still invade your property.

Although they are highly mobile, mosquitos are also fairly weak, and need to take a lot of rests on their flight. If, then, you hit your local shrubbery/mosquito resting places with a chemical (pyrethroids/neonicotinoid)that kills adult mosquitos, you can lessen the biting adult population that most folks care about.

That said, I appreciate the Clemson reply with an eye for human safety (quite frankly, I dont care about urban/suburban pollinator safety as they are functionless for crop pollination in that area), but I think the recommendation misses the functional target.


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## mjh648 (Sep 1, 2020)

@superkaz661 can you elaborate on this?

" I dont care about urban/suburban pollinator safety as they are functionless for crop pollination in that area"


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## superkaz661 (Apr 19, 2019)

mjh648 said:


> @superkaz661 can you elaborate on this?
> 
> " I dont care about urban/suburban pollinator safety as they are functionless for crop pollination in that area"


Sure.

I frequently hear that insecticides should be avoided because they are harmful to pollinators. The underpinnings of that argument are that a lack of pollinators can have significant downside effects on agricultural production. That is, no bees, no food. Or at least that fewer bees will lead to crop declines which means less available/more expensive food. And we've all heard about the declines in bee colonies right? Don't want that!

The thing about pollination though is that its a mechanical transfer of pollen from the male flower of a plant to the female flower. This is where the bee comes in. The bee travels from its hive to flowers to gather both pollen and nectar, and in so doing, mediates this male pollen to female flower. Poof-crop pollination.

American honey bees do this every day, traveling from the hive to forage for food.

The rub is in the travel. The american honey bee, the same one that does the majority of this pollination, travels less than 5 miles (and most of the time its much less than that) from its queen to do its foraging.

I live smack dab in the middle of suburbia. There isnt an agricultural field within 5 miles. Ergo, any bees that succumb to the pesticides I spray (I dont spray flowers where bees visit--just shaded shrubs that mosquitos like to visit--but thats a separate argument for another day) aren't responsible for crop pollination.

So, if someone wants to argue about the widespread use of pesticides in agricultural areas, thats one thing, but that argument isnt applicable to me and my use of pesticides on my lawn.


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## cglarsen (Dec 28, 2018)

NC State research indicates that mosquitos maximum range is 500 ft from a water source. That's useful information to help you focus on source elimination.

I spray Pyrethrum (not permethrin), IGR, and an essential oil mix and do not spray plants that bees seem to frequent. Even with this approach I did find 2 dead bees following my last spray. Have not had any mosquitos however.


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