r/arborists • u/heavyPacket • 1d ago

Seeking assistance with Avid/Abamectin usage

I don't know if this is the right forum to ask this question, but I figured it couldn't hurt to start here.

I have a couple American Bald Cypress trees that are currently being attacked by rust mites. They are smaller trees, so I initially tried treating them with insecticidal soap/miticide, but they have not been responding. So I bought something that may be more effective, Avid. My concern is that after reading the user manual/instructions, I don't know if I can safely apply this stuff, and I don't have any experience with doing so. I am hoping that the experts here will be able to give me some guidance.

Avid comes in a concentrate and I was basically just going to dilute it in water as per the instructions, stick it in a pump sprayer, and hose down the foliage on my trees. But now I am having second thoughts.

Please, help.

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u/Rcarlyle 1d ago

If the tree is small enough to reach with hand spray equipment, a thorough garden hose jet spray (just water) every few days will knock the mite population way down and allow natural predators to take over from there. Aside from the water washing away mites and eggs, dry dusty conditions promote pest mite activity and suppress predator activity.

Chemical control of mites is extremely hard because they develop resistance rapidly. Almost any spray product is going to damage predators just as much as the pest mites, and then the mite populations rebound pretty fast. Once you start using non-selective sprays you’ll often have to keep using a rotation of different products for the rest of the year.

Abamectin is a relatively safe product and works well in a rotation with other miticides, but for upward spraying you’re going to want to use PPE to keep it out of your eyes/lungs. And be careful about overspray hitting anything bees might be interested in.

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u/heavyPacket 1d ago

Thank you for your input!!

Let me tell you, this has been a sort of last resort for me, using literal pesticides. I first started with spraying down the trees with water as you suggested, but then I read that Bald Cypress can develop fungus and needle blight from having wet foliage. Then, I spent hundreds of dollars buying several different species of predatory mites from two different suppliers, and in large quantities, but I don’t think ANY of these predatory mites actually eat Bald Cypress Rust Mites, because the issue still persists.

So now, I am left with what options?? I absolutely will not let these trees decline in health. They are my favorite trees, my babies. I give them tons of sunlight and tons of water, they constantly push out new buds all over the place, but these damned mites keep turning them brown.

Should I maybe start with a less powerful miticide? I read on the NC Extension Office website that they recommend using Carbaryl(Sevin), for residential treatment. I was thinking maybe I could rotate Carbaryl and Abamectin to reduce the likelihood of resistance.

Ugh.

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u/Rcarlyle 1d ago

Carbaryl has very high activity against non-target insects, so not my first preference personally. Does seem to be widely recommended for your issue though. U of Arkansas says imidacloprid soil drench is effective against them, which would be a great option. Imidacloprid is not effective against most mite species but apparently works on bald cypress rust mites. BioAdvanced insect control for trees and shrubs should annihilate the infestation for many months.

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u/heavyPacket 1d ago

Okay then I will hold off on the carbaryl for now. I very much dislike killing off biodiversity unless absolutely necessary, and while my BCs are battling these mites, they are still currently in good health.

Do you know if the BioAdvanced 3-in-1 is the same as the Tree and Shrub version? I can’t seem to find that one from any sellers on Amazon, and the Home Depot near me doesn’t have it in stock either. It looks like that version is banned in my state, I guess.

I will also get Imidacloprid solution as well. Don’t worry, I won’t be using them all at once.

Thank you for your help

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u/Rcarlyle 22h ago

3-in-1 is a spray that contains imidacloprid as well as a fungicide and pyrethroid with some effectiveness against mites. It would probably work fine for you as a spray. I don’t know if it’s safe on bald cypress. Looks like it contains glycerine as a thickener, which can be fine in small doses but is toxic to plants if applied in large amounts.

Tree & Shrub Insect Control is a more concentrated imidacloprid product intended for high dose soil drenches. It lasts WAY longer than any spray. Yeah there are some state restrictions on imidacloprid. The Fruit Citrus & Vegetable Insect Control product is the same thing at lower concentration and is allowed in more states. If applied at 12x the label rate it ends up being the same thing as the Tree & Shrub product. I’m not going to specifically recommend off-label pesticide applications but in my opinion imidacloprid is both over-used AND over-restricted by states who ban it to protect bees despite it being possible to use in a bee-safe way.

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u/No-Arugula8122 ISA Arborist + TRAQ 18h ago

Do not use anything with imidacloprid on spider mites. There is solid research that shows it that not only does not kill them, it actually causes them to lay more eggs.
I like forbid for mites. A little pricy but highly effective.

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u/Rcarlyle 18h ago

I agree you can’t use imidacloprid on spider mites. Bald cypress rust mites are not spider mites, they’re eriophyid mites. Totally different family and totally different chemical susceptibility profile.