Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

As many of you know, last year I started a small nursery business in San Diego county (CA). A few months later, an independent nursery about 15 miles away decided to import some plants from a Florida grower going out of business. And of course, since they plants were really cheap why bother with the hassle of the phyto-sanitary certificate? So a month later the Asian Citrus Psyllid shows up on a routine inspection at that nursery and a quarantine was enacted on a majority of the county. This meant that to sell Citrus plants, I have to spray them every 6 weeks with Cyfluthrin and give them a soil drench of Imidacloprid every 90 days.

Understandably, the price of Citrus plants at many nurseries here went up due to the increased costs. So earlier this year a homeowner 5 miles from me is vacationing in Mexico and notices that the price of Citrus trees there is dirt cheap. He decides to smuggle a Mandarin orange tree across the border (through the Ag check station). Consequently, last month a pest inspector finds a Mediterranean Fruit Fly population in a park near the home and ultimately the source is discovered. This triggers a second quarantine in my area -- not just on Citrus but on numerous fruiting plants. This means that to sell these fruiting plants, all fruit must be removed -- which is a daily chore on plants like chillis. Further, fruit that originates in this quarantine area (my home included) can not be sold or distributed unless the plants have received 3 periodic soil drenches with Diazinon.

The next fun pest will be the Cherry Vinegar Fruit Fly which has destroyed over 40% of this years cherry crop in central California. I just can't wait ...

Re: Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

Sorry to hear that Richard. Prices and availability of the plants is perfect in your area (and USA generally), shipping prices are, believe me, excellent, I wonder why people feel the need to smuggle.
Anyway, I hope that what your mandarin neighbour had to pay for this mistake, will teach the rest of the people. Btw. if you do something like that here in Europe, they don't mind anything and they will not be making any quarantine, they just close your shop and burn the plants. :D

Re: Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

Not just plants but just about anything because of outrageous prices from the government adding insane costs to producers. Like above where you have to jump through hoops to be able to sell something legally. Just about everything they do to "protect" us raises the price 3x the norm. Lots of people are not going to go to extremes for plants but things like medicine, there are millions of people getting it from either Canada or Mexico.

Re: Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

That's why people in so advanced countries, as mine for example, sell and buy 85% of everything illegaly. LOL.

Re: Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

It is not the government that is adding insane costs to producers! It is greedy individuals who ignore pest control measures and smuggle in insects that can wipe out entire crops.

The Asian Citrus Psyllid is systematically eliminating all Citrus in Georgia and Florida by distributing Citrus Greening disease.

When allowed to freely multiply, the Mediterranean Fruit Fly causes horrendous damage to a huge number of host plants.

The Cherry Vinegar Fly aka "Spotted Wing Drosophila" is an equally insidious pest.

I am using synthetic pesticides because of the actions of thoughtless people.

Re: Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

But I don't understand this Richard. Here in Europe we don't have limits or controls as were are in EU, but I've never heard of serious disease outbrake, and if it were here, it's only local and never hits the entire area...
How come you have so many problems..?

Re: Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

Jack, the EU has many limits and controls, and regions within the EU with increased susceptibilities have serious restrictions on movements of plants.

Your local climate zone and ecology has little support for the pests I have mentioned. For example, how many 1,000's of hectares of Citrus are in Slovakia?

Re: Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

None, yet there's a grower in Czech republic who exports hundreds of citrus plants a year to Russia, Italy, Greece...
He could confirm, that even in our climate the pests (and even temperate area pests and diseases) can be pretty damn issue. :D
But let the truth be said, I have no first hand intel from growing regions. :D
Back before 1989 we were however growing the citrus trees in large, several kilometres long greenhouses and we were forced to suppply our markets with that... LOL. Those were the times...
Not growing anything like that right now. Not in the soil that is.

Re: Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

Point is its a Catch22. Maybe they wouldn't try to smuggle if they were not REQUIRED to spend tons of money just to stay in business. Then because they smuggle there are more regulations which causes more people to smuggle.

Re: Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

The nursery we are referring to that brought in the ACP isn't required to spend tons of money to stay in business. Instead it was laziness and impatience that put the entire population of citrus in the state at risk.

The homeowner referred to that brought in the Med Fly was completely thoughtless to conceal an untreated tree and save $15 -- and in doing so put all the fruit crops in southern California at risk.

The rare fruit tree collector in Los Angeles county who brought in Spotted Wing Drosophila was equally thoughtless in smuggling in untreated plants and in doing so cause widespread devastation of this year's pit fruit and some berry fruit crops.

Re: Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

I know that many people in Texas are worried about Citrus Greening Disease. Lots of people here grow citrus at there homes, but there is a huge citrus industry down in the valley.

As you said, Richard, someone who wanted to save $15 has now cost other potentially millions of dollars over the long run.

Re: Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

Now I see why the newly arrived citrus at HD have had their fruits picked off. I always wondered why the growers would do that. I thought wouldn't it be more of a selling point to have fruits on the tree? Of course when the trees develop fruit at the HD, that doesn't stop it from attracting any pest lurking around. :rolleyes:

Re: Why I use synthetic pesticides
 

It is generally recommended that you remove any fruit that develops for the first three seasons after you plant your citrus anyhow, in order to allow the tree to develop the best root system possible before fruiting. Most people (myself included) can't bring themselves to do that. I may thin the amount of fruit but it sure is tough to remove it all!