[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by kilroyscarnival

Your plants look amazing! I looked up the latter two products, because I didn't know them. Curiously, the Spinetoram seems to be the active ingredient in the topical Cheristin we use on our cats (via our vet) for flea protection. Do you use a particular brand of it?

Flonicamid I haven't yet found in a retail product. Are you able to say where you obtained it and under which brand name?

Thanks. I am in Zone 9B in Orlando, where it's still too hot and humid to start, but I'm hoping for some earlies by Christmas, then others carefully overwintered for our few frost warnings for early spring. The bugs and fungus got me the last time I grew tomatoes. New home, new start. - Ann

Thanks Ann. I understand Floridians get two good windows, and the first one is right around the corner, relatively speaking.

Yes indeed, spinetoram is used as a vet product.

Spinetoram is an analogue of spinosad and is considered to be toxicologically equivalent, it just has a few minor changes in the molecule.

The active ingredients in Spinetoram are spinosyn J and L.


Spinosad has the A and D.

The version I use is called Exalt, by Dow Agrosciences.

A few years ago, on my first visit to the agricultural area stores, helpful "agricultores" who were buying their own stuff overheard my gripes on thrips,
and immediately pointed to the brand new product called Exalt. It was too pricey for my blood then and I went with alternatives, which did NOT work.

This spring I returned to the exact same store, and a similar scenario unfolded.
And as another gentleman overheard me inquire about Exalt
he detected my noob status and asked what my problem was and what I grew. To which I responded tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, and related how a few years back it had been recommended as a solution at that very spot.
--They'll break through with that.
He then directed the people behind the counter, with amazing authority I might add, to give me X product
--We're all out.
Sucks on teeth and breathes in heavily...--Then give him the Beleaf. The small bottle. Yes, that'll do you right.
--Is it systemic?
--It is, and I use it on all my cucumbers.

--Thank you Sir, much appreciated.
--Yeah, tell the person creating your program to fix it, they're no good.
--I'm the one creating it, it's just me and my backyard.
--Aaahhh, then use this, and the Exalt, and the Neem, the flowers, and the glue traps. But use this [the flonicamid], it'll give you 28 days free of thrips, enough for your flowers.
The gentleman left, and I waved my thank you. The people behind the counter informed he has an insane amount of hectares of arable land.


I followed instructions and the yellow card shows 30 days post Beleaf on all plants in the garden, + 3 applications of Exalt. The card has been hanging for 72 hrs. This time of the year that card would be filled with thrips, whiteflies, fungus gnats, and other assorted insects within 24 hrs.

The patent on Beleaf belongs to a Japanese company, https://www.iskweb.co.jp/eng/product...flonicamid.pdf



It's a powder you hydrate and spray on, about 1 gram per gallon. I made up a total of 6 gallons and just imbued every plant on the property.




It's in a class of its own, the 1st in a new category of insecticide. It works, and is relatively innocuous.