Homeowners can't get their hands on much for pesticides and insecticides here in Ma any more. Anything beyond what you can get at Home Depot requires an State applicator's license and re-certifications. Farmers do it or pay someone because they have to. We've had some pretty bad years of gypsy moths, winter moths and tent caterpillars. BT just doesn't work on them after they get a certain size. I can drive to Rhode Island for some things, but others you have to drive even further west. How far do you go ? For a dozen trees ? For three years in a row my apple trees were stripped bare in a day. Dropped apples. My pears survived with chewed fruit and lots of scars . So at least I got something.
This is an apple growing area and their is a place called Nutrien, (formerly CPS, crop production services) that is the place commercial growers get chemicals. Everything I buy can be purchased by anybody, but the quantities things are packaged in would make that difficult for the back yard grower. For example common products like Captan and Imidan come in a minimum package size of 5-30#s. To mix a gallon of water that would be maybe an ounce and calibration is based on product per acre. I have a chemical applicators license and can buy restricted use agents but really don't need to. For example I can buy gramoxone, (formerly paraquat) but just don't want too. Pretty dangerous stuff. Actually you made me think I need to go see the boys to stock up as the trees will go through stages pretty quick, next will be "pink".
Thanks guys, played golf in a calcutta on my birthday, we won a few hundred dollars each. Surprisingly enough, that made me very happy.
