I think I did something terrible out of ignorance. (1 Viewer)

[ericy5150]

I live in Las Vegas, and have a Palo Verde tree in the front. It had gotten infested with caterpillars...they were all over it...I called my landscaper and they told me to get Bayer systemic plus feeding and pour it at the base of the tree based on trunk size in inches( 1 ounce per inch in gallon of water). It was 46 inches around, but I only had a 32 oz of the bayer so I just did that. It said takes 1 week to 3 months to work so I asked her what to do now to get rid of them and was told to get the Bayer Spray. I told her I had hummingbird feeders and she said take them down and put them back up when it dried. So I sprayed the tree tonight and came back in and dont know what made me do it but I read the Q&A on the Amazon product page...and I AM DEVASTATED. Some people are saying what I just did will kill bees and harm the hummingbirds, others say it won't, but I wen ton google and I see posts from groups saying that it will and I am SICK and so upset and now am powerless.. I have 6 feeders around my house front and back and fountains etc in the back. I had to save my Palo tree it has been through so much in 13 years and I couldn't let this infestation kill it so I just leapt into action and now I am dying inside because I unknowingly will be harming the bees and Hummingbirds when the Palo blooms its yellow flowers . It's August, they may not bloom again until next Spring which will be April or May...8 months away but this bottle says lasts up to 12 months... I pray not having enough of the product and not putting any more on will lessen the risk 8 months from now. I AM SICK TO MY STOMACH I WOULD NEVER KNOWINGLY HARM ANY CREATURE. I AM SO ANGRY WITH MYSELF. I went out of my way to get bowls that would not harm or have any chemicals in the heat and sun of the Vegas summers, and now I'm going to harm them trying to save my tree and with my IGNORANCE.

 

[KC Foggin]

First of all, a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum
We're glad you found us and thanks for taking a moment to say hello. Please join in wherever you like

Next, stop beating yourself up. You didn't know the results of using this product. It's always a good idea to do a google search on any new item you are going to buy concerning our wildlife just to see if anyone reports any problems.

I wonder if a heavy spraying of water will dilute its potential to harm wildlife.

We all learn by mistakes we make so give up beating yourself up.

 

[Tired]

When dealing with pests, it's important to look at the actual impact on the plant. A heavy population of caterpillars may look pretty unpleasant, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily going to do any real damage to the tree beyond chewing a lot of leaves off. Remember, caterpillars are a part of nature too, and if they kill their tree they'll be out of food. A healthy tree should be fine with a bunch of caterpillars on it, though might not flower quite as much this year if enough of its leaves are chewed off.

If the health of the tree is definitely suffering, spraying it with a strong hose will knock caterpillars off. This will kill them if the water stream is strong enough, or if they don't get back onto the tree in time. Most caterpillars only eat a very specific few plants, and if removed from those plants, will die.

Don't beat yourself up too badly. These pesticides are marketed as something good to use, by people who know they're harmful to wildlife. Really, that's their whole point, to kill the wildlife we think is unpleasant.

 

[ericy5150]

Yes in hindsight I should have left the caterpillars alone. It had happened once before and I didnt know what was going on and didnt do anything and they turned to moths and that was that but it really freaked me out. After monsoon rains they came back last week and I was so worried about my Palo if things were on the inside of it eating away at it so I panicked and called my landscaper. I thank God that the blooming season is over and my Palo should not bloom flowers until next April, and I just hope that minimizes any harm to any of the birds. The spray will wear off in a week. I am praying the lower dose I gave the tree of the systemic and the months that will pass until it blooms again will soften any blow to the bees/hummingbirds and by late June it should be over and I will NEVER do this again. I dont mind caterpillars as long as my cats dont try to eat them when theyre out on the front walk lounging at night.

 

[KC Foggin]

Fingers crossed for you Eric.

 

[qwerty5]

What was the systemic you used? The spray won't harm hummingbirds once it's dry.