Monterey LG6135 Garden Insect Spray Contains Spinosad, 32-Ounce

I purchased this product to continue my transition to a more nearly organic approach to pest control in my garden (I still resort to Malathion for certain pests). Now, after two thirds or so of the season is behind me, I want to put in my report.I used the Monterey Spinosad product on vegetables (squash, eggplant, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and okra), fruits (primocane raspberries before flowering, apples, plums--both Japanese and European Gage varieties, quince, peach, black currants, red currants, and gooseberries), and one ornamental--hollyhocks.I used a 2 gallon RoundUp pump sprayer set to deliver almost a mist and followed the directions carefully about making sure the product remained well mixed and never saw a single sign of burning on any of the plants, including those with new growth, which was effectively all of them, including the various fruits (I mention this here because it was a complaint of one user).When applying it to flowering plants, I tried to spray well after sunset, but even so at times I did notice a few pollinating insects were still active (the product is said to be safe for bees once it has been dry for thirty minutes). That said, the number and kinds of insect pollinators now out in my garden is amazing. I was watching yesterday as a honeybee tried to get into three pumpkin blossoms in succession, before finding one with some room (the first two had three and four bumblebees respectively, the third only one). I should note that until late June I had not seen a single honeybee anywhere in my garden, but now there are many of them out and about. They really seem to love the Cleomes or Spider flowers.Some bad news: Spinosad is not effective against all insect pests. Shocking, right? Anyway, having seen a few posts on GardenWeb and elsewhere by people claiming it works to prevent squash borers, I used the product on my summer squash plants, beginning on July 11th (after removing the spun row cover) to try to control squash vine borers. Unfortunately, my 7 to 10 day application intervals were either too long to prevent squash vine borers from successfully getting into my yellow and zucchini squash plants, or the product does not work against them. I view the latter explanation as the more likely reality as vine borers are not listed on the label. It also does not control cucumber beetles or Japanese beetles (nor does it specifically claim to control either pest). I didn't spray for specifically for them, but when I applied the spray they were both present on various plants and were not inconvenienced by its use that I could tell.On the other hand, the product label does say "leaf-feeding beetles" are controlled by it under its guidelines for use on ornamental plants.Next, the control of cabbage worms and flea beetles was excellent (Note: flea beetles are not specifically listed on the label). I did use spun row covers on my cole crops till the end of June, but the Imported Cabbage butterflies have remained active in and around my garden (one landed and began laying eggs even as I was removing the spun row covers!), and yet since shifting to the spinosad product I haven't seen a single caterpillar or "worm" on any of my cole plants. The eggplant in my garden can and have in the past quickly become stunted by flea beetles. The spinosad product knocked them out and seems to protect the plants for at least a week, though after that they can quickly move back in. I accidentally performed a very good control test on this particular pest when I failed on the second application to spray three eggplant I'd planted in a somewhat obscure location. Those three plants, left untreated for 19 days, were riddled with flea beetle holes by the time I did spray them and have not really recovered.The product also seems to have completely prevented weevils from damaging my hollyhocks, which have always had a problem with these insects. Of course, I haven't seen a weevil on them yet this summer, so maybe the weevils just took a year off. Unlikely but possible, as the hollyhocks are now in a different location than they were. The product label again does not specifically list weevils.I used Spinosad on almost all the fruiting trees and the currants, gooseberries, and primocane raspberries to control both tip-boring larvae (on the peach and primocane raspberries after I noticed a problem) and as a preventative measure on the raspberries to suppress fruit flies. I stopped that last attempt as soon as flowering commenced. Regarding fruit flies, I haven't seen any yet, though I expect the nasty spotted winged drosophilas to show up now that the fruit is starting to ripen. They were a big problem in August and September last summer.Overall, I think the Monterey Spinosad spray is great when used correctly for the insects listed on the label.

This organic insect spray seems to be keeping coddling moths away from my apples. I like the fact that it is organic, and I can pick my apples after 7 days of application.

Kills earworms on corn. So far I've had to apply it every 3 days to keep worms away. The seal was broken when I received it and a little had leaked out into the box but not much.

Last summer my garden was invaded by SWD - spotted-wing drosophila. I have ~6 types of thornless blackberry cultivars, several yellow and red raspberry varieties, red and green seedless grapes, and nearly 20 varieties of blueberries. I garden organically and use very few chemicals or treatments at all - anything I do must be safe for children, pets, bees, etc.The grapes were fine (I think the skin is too thick for the SWD to bite through), and the blueberries also appear unaffected. All my cane berries were destroyed, though. (The flies left my vegetables alone, as far as I could tell. Apparently they don't like tomatoes.)Before I figured out what had attacked my raspberries and blackberries, and what to do about it (they looked dried out, like the actual fruit had been sunburned, perhaps) my entire cane berry crop was infested and destroyed. I'd never heard of a fruit fly attacking live crops! Thousands of Anne yellow raspberries...I was pretty much devastated as I've been growing them for years, my son LOVES them and I've never seen them in stores. The skin is thin, the berries delicate - what makes them basically impossible to ship & sell commercially makes them attractive to SWD fruit flies.Supposedly spinosad would fight SWD fruit flies, so this year, I tried this Monterey Garden Insect Spray diluted as directed here, using the "Smith 190285" 1-gal sprayer (also on Amazon). It's incredible! As a test, I sprayed some in & on my compost bin, which was teeming with thousands of SWD fruit flies. The next day there were a few dozen left; I gave it one more dose and they were gone. Weeks later, they're STILL gone (from the compost anyhow).It's still a battle on my raspberries - the flies are not totally gone yet. I'd only done one treatment and about 50% of the crop is clear of flies/eggs - still a huge improvement from last year. I treated again last night and am just going to keep at it. The blackberries are ripening (in June...!) and I have my fingers crossed I treated them in time...we'll see. I'll update if/when I manage to eradicate the awful, horrible and truly disgusting spotted-wing drosophila from my garden.

I have been a commercial farmer (both organic and conventional) for over thirty years. An entomologist or licensed pest control professional knows a lot more than I do, but I feel I can offer this review with a modicum of authority:This is an excellent and very safe insecticide that has been on the market for several years. It is useful to have this in your cabinet alongside your BT spray. Each is bacteria based, but they have different modes of action, and control different pests, although there is some overlap.Before you use *any* insecticide, identify the pest (easy using the Internet and a good magnifying glass), evaluate how serious the damage is, and determine the best way to control the problem. It may be as simple as rinsing the plant leaves with water and a wetting agent. Your local nursery professional or University Extension service can give you sound advice.Some beneficial predatory bug species look nasty, and people rush out to spray before they know what they are doing. Or, they use a particular spray (whether organic-approved or not) unsuitable for the pest. Then they complain the stuff does not work.The more you study the amazing world of plants and insects, the more miracles you will see; your enjoyment of home gardening will increase exponentially.