Insecticide

“ Parathion is being used at 1/2 to 1-1/2 pounds of 15 percent wettable powder per 100 gallons of water for mites and up to 2 pounds to 100 gallons of water for insects more resistant to it. The occurrence of injury to the foliage and fruit of some varieties of apples when this insecticide is used is under investigation.
Benzene hexachloride (10 percent gamma isomer, wettable) is being used at 2 to 4 pounds, and sometimes less depending upon the insect, per 100 gallons of water. ”

“ We went back to his office, and there he handed me a circular advertising his business as an exterminator of insects. "I undertake, by the particular job or on yearly contract, to exterminate all varieties of insects from your furniture, your clothing, your furs, your house. Moths a specialty. Also, for sale in pound, half pound aid quarter pound packages, or in any quantity, Muselle's Magic Insecticide, positively guaranteed as the best insect powder in the universe. ”

“ There is a remedy in the powder known as insecticide, which, however, is very disagreeable upon books and shelves. It is, nevertheless, very fatal to these pests, and affords some consolation in the fact that so soon as a "bug" shows any signs of illness, he is devoured at once by his voracious brethren with the same relish as if he were made of fresh paste. ”

“ Sterilization is the absolute destruction of all organic life, whether infectious or not; it is therefore more than disinfection, which destroys the germs of infection alone.
A Disinfectant is an agent which destroys germs of infection.
A Germicide is the same; an agent destroying germs.
An Insecticide is an agent capable of destroying insects; it is not necessarily a disinfectant, nor is a disinfectant necessarily an insecticide.
An Antiseptic is a substance which inhibits and stops the growth of the bacteria of putrefaction and decomposition. ”

“ It is best in deciding upon the insecticides and fungicides to be used to have a clear classification in mind of the several kinds of insect to be exterminated as one form of poison may not be suited to all forms of insect life: for instance, insects210 which chew or eat the leaves of the plants to which they are addicted, as the potato beetle, caterpillar and the like, can most readily be destroyed by poison applied to the foliage ”

“ The old house borer and other beetles that do not make entrance holes in the surface of the wood can also be controlled by surface applications of these chemicals. Larger quantities must be used, however, especially where thicker wood is concerned, such as floor joists, studs, and roof rafters. For such materials, at least 1.5 pints of the insecticide per cubic foot of wood is needed to reach the beetle larvae. ”

“ When possible, fungicides for disease control and insecticides for insect control should be combined in the spray tank and applied to the trees in one operation. The spray materials should be applied evenly and thoroughly to all the leaf and nut surfaces to provide a chemical barrier to disease organisms and insects. Do not neglect the tops of the trees. Diseases and insects can harbor and multiply in all unsprayed areas of the tree. ”

“ In these, and experiments with various other insects, the scent from the powder did not produce any bad effect on those subjected to its odor where actual contact was not possible; but when carried to the mandibles the effect was to produce complete paralysis of the motor nerves. The experiments prove that all insects having open mouth parts are peculiarly susceptible to this popular insecticide. As a result, the writer does not hesitate to recommend the powder to housekeepers as an infallible agent in destroying the carpet beetle and preventing its ravages. ”

“ Syringing with an insecticide, or dipping the plants in the liquid, should be avoided, for the quantity applied is likely to saturate the material in which the plants are potted and to run into the centres of the young growths and cause injury. ”

“ A great number of experiments have been conducted in agricultural colleges and experiment stations over the country with solutions and powders with which to kill injurious insects. Arsenic in different preparations, carbolized plaster, kerosene, hellebore, pyrethrum, hot water, and Bordeaux mixture have been in use and tested in many ways, so that, as a result of this work, standard insecticides can be recommended to farmers generally, which may be easily made at home out of simple ingredients. ”

“ A French chemist, M. Alland, has found a way to give a solid and soluble form to sulphuret of carbon, by which it is made much less volatile, more convenient to handle, and more efficacious as an insecticide. He dissolves the sulphuret in a heavy oil which is formed in the manufacture of anthracene and saponifies with lime, and adds quicklime to the solution. The paste thus obtained is soaked in water and dried into a cement which forms an isolating crust. A very effective insecticide, which, however, acts slowly, is thus obtained. ”

“ Let all such articles be kept under lock and key; and one person should have charge of their use, and be held responsible for them. Moreover, any watering-can used with Paris green and like substances should be marked with the word Poison, in large letters. If insecticides are used in the form of a powder, great care should be exercised to keep it from falling on other vegetation or fruit that might be eaten by man or beast. I have known of pigs and horses dying from eating herbage on which Paris green had blown from a potato field. ”

“ Most aphides are readily controlled by means of insecticides, such as nicotine-sulphate, or kerosene-emulsion. They are also very often held in check by natural enemies, such as aphis-lions, hover-flies, ladybirds, and numerous forms of hymenoptera. ”

“ He then reviews the progress that has been made in economic entomology, estimates the value of the various insecticides that have been introduced and of other remedies for and preventives of insect depredations, after which he furnishes descriptions and life-histories of the more injurious insects. Among the preventives of insect depredations suggested by Dr. Lintner is one which we believe is new: it depends upon the theory that insects are attracted to the plants they infest by the odor, and consists in the use of some substance by which that odor may be overcome or neutralized. ”

“ The reason that high fire test kerosene is recommended as an insecticide is, that the lighter oils with which it is associated in a crude state, have been eliminated by the refining process, these being exceedingly deadly to vegetation, leaving the refined kerosene which should always be used for this purpose. ”

“ The deliquescence of the naphthaline cones produces a blackish, oily residuum which will soil the lining of the box, and it is always advisable either to pin a piece of blotting paper beneath the cone or to wrap this in paper.
Constant watchfulness is necessary to see that the eggs which have been deposited and checked in development by the application of this insecticide do not ultimately hatch and start a new generation in the insect box. ”

“ The pumps in the machine keep the insecticide constantly mixed, and at the same time force the wash with great strength through the nozzle, and so to the exterior, as a fine mist; every part of the plant is thus affected. ”

“ The plants are liable to the attacks of aphis, both green and black. While under glass the pests can be destroyed by fumigation; but in the open a solution of some good insecticide may be administered with the syringe at intervals of about three days, until a clearance is effected. Other foes are the various grubs which attack plants at the collar. On the first sign of failing vigour, gently remove with a pointed stick the soil around the plant, and in doing this avoid any needless disturbance of the roots. Do not be satisfied until the enemy is destroyed. ”

“ The evidence on this point, from many highly competent scientists, is too strong to question. It should be weighed by all who use the modern insecticides, or condone their use.
'I do not wish to leave the impression that only birds that feed on earthworms are endagered. To quote Professor Wallace briefly: 'Tree-top feeders are affected in an entirely different way, by insect shortages, or actual consumption of poisoned insects. ”

“ If plants are not watched while small, insects are likely to attack them. Spray with Nicoticide infusion. Later in the season the Colorado beetle will be quite likely to put in its appearance. Then use Paris green, either in infusion, or mixed with land-plaster, and applied in a dry state while the plants are moist from dew. If any fungous disease is discovered, spray with Bordeaux mixture. All these insecticides can be procured from druggists or dealers in agricultural goods, or they can be obtained from the dealer from whom you buy seed. ”

“ Conventional sterile insect based programs generally achieve greater efficiency by initiating releases in conjunction with reduced mosquito population, either by utilising naturally occurring seasonality or temporary knockdown with alternate control such as insecticide application. ”

“ Do we have a spray that will be neutralized as it hits the soil so we can spray the tree and not kill our lower friends?
Dr. Cross: Sorry, Mr. Chase, that's beyond me.
Mr. Gravatt: You are thinking of arsenate of lead poisoning the soil where you keep on spraying with it?
A Member: Yes.
Mr. Gravatt: I think DDT may build up a little in the soil, but it is broken down, isn't it, Dr. Crane?
Dr. Crane: Yes, DDT is broken down and it is not a fungicide and it is not a bactericide. It is an insecticide that kills insects through affecting the nervous system, according to my understanding of it. ”

“ Powder-post beetles cause extensive damage to wood in the structure of buildings and to wood products used in homes.
The larvae, or grubs, feed on the starch or the cellulose in wood. As they feed, they bore irregular tunnels through the wood. Borings left in the tunnels have the consistency of powder.
Powder-post beetles can be controlled by applying an insecticide to the infested wood. How it is applied depends on the kind of beetle to be controlled and on the extent and location of the infestation. In some circumstances a spray will suffice; in others, fumigation is necessary. ”

“ It is always good practice to avoid, as far as possible, the use of poisonous insecticides in the kitchen garden; while their use may do no harm on vegetables that have not set their fruit, there is always a tendency to grow careless in their use and to continue it after the safety zone has been passed. ”

“ Care and intelligence are especially needful with certain insecticides such as poisonous gases, or the operators may suffer. It is worse than useless to apply drastic remedies if the main facts of the life-history of the pest are not known; e.g. the application of ordinary antiseptic powders to leaves inside which a Fungus, such as a Uredo or Ustilago, is growing can only result in failure, and similarly if tobacco fumes, for instance, are applied when the insects concerned are hibernating in the ground beneath. Such applications at the moment when spores are germinating on the leaves, e.g. ”

“ In the first place, a grave fault resulting from an excessive confidence in the action of parasites consists in advising the suppression of insecticides in a region where it is desired to acclimatize the beneficial species. In the great majority of cases, at least in regions where insecticides are employed with success to hold a crop enemy in check, the desire to acclimatize a beneficial species should not cause the general use of sprays to be stopped. ”

“ In the same way, if one is using insecticidal measures, it will only be necessary to remove the cut-off branches or cut-down trees to sufficient distances so that they will not be touched by the insecticides. ”

“ Don’t wear clothing with a bright floral print or loose-fitting clothing in which stinging insects may be trapped.
5 Don’t make rapid movements around stinging insects or intentionally disturb either the insects or their nests.
6 Eliminate all Hymenoptera nests around inhabited areas (wild honey bee colonies may be removed by a local beekeeper) . When necessary, an insecticide such as 5% carbaryl dust may be applied in a nesting area within a building to eliminate the nuisance colony.
7 Educate young children on the hazards of venomous arthropods. ”

“ And one need not worry too much about being scientific in one's gardening; insecticides, fungicides and the like are the allies of the careless gardener, but the wide awake, industrious gardenerviii has little need of them. Healthy, vigorous plants are not especially susceptible to insect attacks and with the exception of potato bugs, squash bugs and cabbage worms the danger from them is merely negligible, but the careless, slovenly gardener is a real and pestilential danger. ”

“ Fortunately, the growers of nuts do not have to combat a large number of injurious insect species. However, some species do at times cause a heavy loss of nuts and may also damage the vegetation growth of the trees. Injury by insects will vary from year to year, due to various causes, and insects frequently show varietal host preferences. Timely use of insecticides is the most effective means of combating many harmful species. ”