I want to try and use permethrin on Granny Smith apples just for a couple of weeks until I can get a fruit bag over it. No problem?
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I am bumping your post. Hopefully, someone with experience with using permethrin on apples will reply to you. I don’t think this chemical is used on apples in the United States where most of the forum members live.
Hi there are permethrin products labeled for apples at least in the USA. Perm up 3.2 EC for example is labeled for apples. Is there a reason you need to use permethrin?
The only reason I’m using permethrin is due to a granulated ambrosia beetle attack on a bunch of my peach trees. I’m not familiar with growing apples as I strictly grow peaches but it does appear there’s a few permethrin products available in the states at least but I’d only use them for special use cases like ambrosia beetles or something since the use of permethrins can aggravate scale and other insects and cause more problems.
He lives in Japan and probably has permethrin on hand so he would like to use it on apples.
I found a label for Perm up 3.2 EC and it says you can spray it up to petal fall on apples and not after. I think that is why people don’t usually use it since you need the insecticide for pests that arrive after petal fall in most cases.
It is not a good idea to use Permethrin on Apples. It kills both good and bad insects which will lead to mite/aphid infections (good insects keep them away). Had a horrible wooly aphid infection the year I made the mistake and used permethrin on apple trees. Never had a problem since. Permethrin works well on peach trees.
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That’s why I didn’t respond. I’m not familiar with Japanese labels. I knew permethrin didn’t have much of a label for apples here, but wasn’t sure about Japan.
@TheNiceGuy You’ve gotten some good advice on this thread. The issue you may run into using permethrin are mite explosions on apples.
Permethrin is in a class of insecticides called pyrethroids. It is well documented that repeated use of pyrethroids on apples can cause mite flares, which I’ve experienced myself. Pyrethroids are safe to use on stone fruit. I just got through adding some permethrin in a tank mix to knock down stink bug in peaches.
One or two applications, should not be a problem on apples. if your label allows it. More than that, and you may see mites start to flare up. I’ve found it’s worse in the hotter drier part of summer.
Adding a 1% mix of good quality hort oil in the tank helps control mites a lot with repeated use of pyrethroids on apples.
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This is very helpful, thank you guys!
I only have two pesticides, permethrin and Sumithion. I’m trying to use them as little as possible, and not buy new pesticides if possible. I already had permethrin mixed up for a nectarine tree, so thought to try on my granny Smith tree. Flowers every year, but I have yet to get any fruit set from it. Leaves sustain a lot of damage from caterpillars etc. during the season.
Permethrin seems to have worked very well on my nectarine tree, which I just completed bagging 150 fruit last night.
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I tried this method this year. The 859 Surround sprays necessary to properly protect the fruitlets is just not in my realm of possible anymore.
So i splurged and did one tank mix of spinosad, sticker and permethrin. Permethrin only the one tank; did 2 spinosads. Yes I love organic growing. But i need some breathing room. My plan being spray at first flight, then have the window before second flights to bag.
Well its worked better than i thought it might. I sighed bc i saw a good amount of codling moth and a few PC hits. Yet … the apples snd peaches were still shaped normally.
I started to open the hit fruit. Of about 100 fruitlets, only 5 had actual larvae. The others were simply a bite with perfectly clean fruit.
I guess permethrin hits the larva on the way in?
In any case im loving it. 
Im bagging this week, another plus for me we have had cool pm temps so my interval between flights is a bit longer.
Im very happy with the outcome. Im hoping one early spray of permethrin doesn’t affect the food web. I know it has mite bloom risk, but no mites and i am seeing ladybugs and wolf spiders as normal.
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I use full doses of both Spinosad and Spectracide for my first spray on the theory that if I can stop the first generation the next two or three will be easier to manage. If I feel confident enough later I will switch to just spinosad, but my second spray will have at least some Spectracide. @Richard can give you better information than I can though.
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If i were doing spray only, i would do the same. With the safety window of that first spray im still bagging.
Your logic is sound. Stopping that first generation within your own orchard has to be a significant break in the cycle. Was my thought process as well.
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