Who uses pesticides on there pastures and what.

[snkstacres]

I am looking for a pesticide that I might be able to economically spread on the pastures at the same time as I fertilize, overseed or weed and feed. We have lots of ants of various varieties as well as you know, ticks, and fleas and spiders, and those horrid grubs.

Is there something out there and where can it be had for what price?

[Bluey]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a298/Robintoo/Green.jpg?t=1238870281

[snkstacres]

hahahaahaha bluey, thats hilarious and oh so true. I have tons of frogs, zillions but they are smart enough to stay at the pond or the snakes will get them.

[Bluey]

I thought you would think it is funny, although fighting bugs is not, really, especially when you want your horses to be bug free.:yes:

Did you ask your county agent what people use where you are?
How about the feed store, the vet, the neighbors?

Some will give goofy answers, as mine was, but there may be a good idea there somewhere.:yes:

[silver2]

What you describe is unrealistic. Even if you found something toxic enough to essentially sterilize your pastures the bugs would move back in right away. And you would kill all the beneficial bugs too that you need to keep your pastures healthy and your fly population under control.

You really want to kill all the spiders on your property? Glad I'm not your downstream neighbor!

[Bluey]

What you describe is unrealistic. Even if you found something toxic enough to essentially sterilize your pastures the bugs would move back in right away. And you would kill all the beneficial bugs too that you need to keep your pastures healthy and your fly population under control.

You really want to kill all the spiders on your property? Glad I'm not your downstream neighbor!

I didn't take the OP as wanting to nuke her pastures, just control pests that evidently are getting a little out of control.

When we pastured our horses where there were lots of deer, we had a tick problem, that we could only control by dusting our horses for ticks, which got rid of others at the same time.:)

Sometimes, when you have a too high a load of pests, they can do more damage than whatever is used to control them.:yes:

[poltroon]

You might also consider chickens or guinea hens.

[snkstacres]

Silver2, I didnt mean to offend you. I am a very very conscientous person when it comes to the land and environment., My horses live here.

But, we have a problem. and no, I dont necessarily consider fire ants a problem, nor spiders but............................................... ...we have grubs or japanese beetle wormy things. and those guys are doing phenominal damage to the soil and the trees. We also now have an infestation of carpenter ants and the trees are simply falling down. they are eaten from the inside out and if you honestly just bump a tree, it falls over. NOT SAFE.
Basically, once the infestation has started, others just come in for the fine dining until now, something has to be done to begin control somewhere. Trust me, my neighbors arent going to go in on this either as clearly, it will cost money. I am just looking to see if there is something out there that can be feasibly used on pastures to not necessarily eradicate insects, but to control the population.

[snkstacres]

poltroon. chikens are my favorite means of bug contol but...................................I could never keep them safe from the dogs. Heck, I havent been able to keep the barn cats safe from the neighbors rotties. I would be on 24 hr patrol.

[silver2]

If you want to control a specific population I'd strongly recommend calling your local ag extension or a professional pesticide applicator who does forestry work and finding out what to use and how and when to use it for the best results and least side effects. You need permits or licenses for most of that stuff- typically to prevent people from doing exactly what you are talking about doing. Spraying a broad spectrum pesticide over your entire property is likely to be pretty ineffective for what you want and to have huge side effects. Not least of which is that you'd be handling it and breathing it in as you applied it. I sympathise with you losing your trees but I would still be extremely PO'd if I was your neighbor and saw a big old cloud of old-school pesticides blowing my way. You'll most likely kill your frogs too.

Pay someone who already has a permit and owns all the gear and the respirators to do it for you.

[JSwan]

I agree with silver2.

I know what it's like to deal with a bug problem. But what you don't want to do is makes things worse by accident or risk polluting groundwater, your animals, or neighbors pastures/water.

Your extension and your forestry agent should be able to provide lots of free advice and will come out and walk your land.


Good luck.

[twofatponies]

Also, there are these creatures called "beneficial nematodes" you can buy at garden centers and spread on your pastures/yard. They infect and kill tick larva and japanese beetle larva. I don't think they affect ants, though. They do help with the japanese beetles, though! I hardly saw any the summer after I tried the nematodes. I think they live for 2 years and then you have to spread more of them.

What might be useful would be a one time chemical treatment to beat things back a little, and then start in with a combo of less poisonous treatments, like chickens, nematodes, changes in fertilizing/landscaping etc. that might affect things.

Re: landscaping, I was thinking with the carpenter ants - they usually move into trees that are already starting to die. Are all the trees a certain kind, like Ash, that are suffering a disease? (In our area all the Ash trees are dying). If that's the case, you could clear out those trees, and replant some other kind of tree.

[snkstacres]

thankyou for some good answers. I will look into the beneficial nematodes because, my intention is not to harm anything. The huge problems came with the drought. I have irradicated all the plants and trees that japanese beetles are attracted to but............ I cant irradicate the neighbors. The carpenter ants, well, they seem to like anything wooden be it rotten or be it fresh. They actually worked there way right to my then brand spanking new barn. I keep posts and buildings sprayed with something from the extension agents office and while costly, it goes a long long way and works well. I will ask them now about using something a bit more drastic on the fields as we are full of holes from the grubs and beetle grubs. The grass is dying off fast from the damage and it hasnt even started to grow barely. Fields are limed and fertilized to coop specs so it should be in good shape.

My next plan is to win the lottery. then I can put up redbrand fencing around entire farm to keep out neighbors dogs. Then I can have those beneficial chikens LOL.

[poltroon]

Hee. My neighbors are all good, but I was just imagining calling up the county extension office and asking them about methods to eradicate pesky neighbors. :D

[gasrgoose]

Good luck with the nematodes. I was told yesterday, on this forum, that they did not work on ants. And just to clarify I hate fire ants, I want all of them on my property dead.