Need help

[RIrs]

OK I have started planting already and remembered that the area im in has a plane that goes by every night. The plane comes really low and sprays pesticides for mosquitos and does it all throught the summer. Will this affect my trees to grow well or will it not affect there growth?
Im in FL so that why they spray

Thanks,
RIrs

 

[bid]

I can't say it won't affect them at all, but the first step might be to try and find out exactly what they are spraying. I personally wouldn't be overly concerned but would be sure to wash any fruit (these are fruit trees?) really good to avoid any insecticide residue.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not sure what pesticide they use in your area, probably malathion but it could be something else. It is nice to be able to live in that climate and not have to worry about Yellow Fever or Malaria, isn't it?

That spray will not affect how your trees grow. It will kill a lot of other insects, not just mosquitoes, so pollination might be affected if you have fruit trees, but not necessarily. We had a huge colony of purple martins under the Causeway Bridge outside if New Orleans, and they spray for a lot for mosquitoes there. Purple martins eat a lot of flying insects. Unfortunately honey bees are very susceptable to insecticides, so that might be a problem. My lime tree and a neighbor's lemon and satsuma trees pollinated OK, so it is not hopeless.

So, how the trees grow should not be affected by the spray. Pollination might.

 

[RIrs]

They are veggies and they spray for the mosquitos to kill them. I havent grown any outside since I have lived here so I guess I will see.

Thanks,
RIrs

 

[RIrs]

My neighbor has 3 colonies of bees in here backyard. Will her bees come to pollinate my corn and other trees. Im not sure what type of pesticide they use but I will try finding out.

Thanks,
RIrs

 

[Ariel301]

The bees will come over to visit your garden. They travel within a 5 mile area of their hive, so you should see plenty of them.

 

[journey11]

Since they spray at night, the bees will still come by your garden and do their thing. Bees are most active in the daytime, especially between the summer hours of 10am and 5pm. I wonder if your neighbor has had any trouble with CCD (colony collapse disorder). I'm sure the bees will still get into the residue of it if it has drifted onto your crops.

There are some things that are pollinated at night; birdhouse, dipper and bottle gourds and night-blooming flowers come to mind, by cucumber beetles and moths. You may need to hand-pollinate those...

 

[vfem]

Since they spray at night, the bees will still come by your garden and do their thing. Bees are most active in the daytime, especially between the summer hours of 10am and 5pm. I wonder if your neighbor has had any trouble with CCD (colony collapse disorder). I'm sure the bees will still get into the residue of it if it has drifted onto your crops.

There are some things that are pollinated at night; birdhouse, dipper and bottle gourds and night-blooming flowers come to mind, by cucumber beetles and moths. You may need to hand-pollinate those...

Agreed.... an don't worry about your corn, corn is wind pollinated anyways.

 

[hoodat]

This may sound upside down and inside out but you may actually have more insect problems due to the spraying since many predatory insects are more succeptible to spraying than the pest insects are.
I can't really argue with the spraying in this case since malaria is making a comeback in Southern states after being all but absent there for almost 100 years. It may be due to climate change.

 

[RIrs]

Im not sure what chemical they use but I will be visting the local extension office to ask. Im not sure how to hand pollinate so if you can give me some tips that would help.

Thanks,
RIrs