One-two punch

If you’re just getting into the green industry and cutting your teeth in the greenhouse or nursery market, you might be unfamiliar with Mavrik Aquaflow® Insecticide/Miticide. But just because a product’s been out a while doesn’t mean you should overlook it.

“Rest assured that it’s a proven performer,” says Doug VanGundy, vice president of research and development for Central Life Sciences.

“Mavrik® is an insecticide that has been around in the market for a while. It’s a good steady Eddie product.”

Mavrik Aquaflow® is non-phytotoxic, even on open blooms, which makes it ideal for most plants. It offers broad-spectrum control on many types of the most problematic nursery and greenhouse pests, from leafhoppers to ants to aphids and spider mites. It’s a liquid formulation with flexible use rates. And when you combine it with Enstar® AQ, a water-based insect growth regulator, you can create a killer combo.

“It gives you a good one-two punch to keep your bugs under control and your damage reduced significantly,” VanGundy says.

The combination works because Enstar® AQ, being an insect growth regulator, affects the development of aphids and whiteflies’ larvae. It attacks the young insects before they become adults. Also, as an ovicide, it stops the reproductive cycle, thereby preventing the target insects from becoming adults.

“If you have invaders coming in from the outside and they try to establish a population, Enstar® AQ will stop those larvae of those eggs laid by the ones that have come in, and keep that population from exploding,” VanGundy says.

Of course, Mavrik® and Enstar® AQ work well together, but they also work separately or with other products. Enstar is compatible with many different insecticide chemistries, which makes it an excellent fit for any rotational program. As an IGR, it serves as an insurance policy or backup for whatever insecticide you’re mixing in the tank with it.

Another problem pest, especially in nurseries in southern states, is fire ants. These insects have a painful sting and also damage tender seedlings and nursery stock.

Extinguish Plus® fire ant bait can help protect nurseries against fire ants. Extinguish Plus combines the killing speed of an adulticide and the long-lasting control of an insect growth regulator. With its two-way action, Extinguish Plus® fire ant bait is economical to use with a great price per acre and meets the USDA fire ant quarantine requirement.

As a bait, the ants will pick it up and take it back to the colony. They’ll spread the bait around the colony and the ants will eat it. The adulticide kills the foraging ants thereby reducing the issue of active fire ants. And the insect growth regulator will affect the queens and cause them to not produce any eggs.

“What happens is the colony just collapses because of starvation and mortality of the ants themselves,” VanGundy says. “It takes four or five days to really notice that the ants are starting to fade away. And within a couple of weeks, they’re gone.”

VanGundy says the most efficient and effective way to do the job is broadcast Extinguish Plus® at the label rate of 1.5 pounds-per-acre.

For more:www.centralgrower.com