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  • Will Spraying Insecticide Kill Beneficial Insects

    Created by Alan Haslam on March 21, 2017 at 5:16 am

    Hi, I released a variety pack of insects from you last year on a property I work on as a gardener. The woman wants to know if it will kill any beneficial insects that have over wintered (Michigan) if her man sprays the trees with an insecticide now, before it warms. Thanks, Alan.

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  • March 21, 2017 at 10:56 am #230760

    Eric Vinje
    Keymaster

    Hey Alan,

    It depends on the type of spray you are using! As long as your overwintered insects have yet to hatch, applying a dormant oil should not kill off a population. Most of the insects in our variety pack don’t utilize trees as a means of reproduction or overwintering. Ladybugs prefer bunch grass when seeking a hibernation habitat. Mantis often utilize bushes, while the parasitic trichogramma and fly parasite overwinter in the body of their host species. Lacewings would be the only one of concern, as they lay eggs on the leaf surface. However, as long as the lacewings have yet to hatch, an oil-based spray should be okay and will not harm eggs.

    Here’s a link to an article we wrote:

    The Effect of Pesticides on Beneficial Insects

    Hope it helps!

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