AusBonsai

Hey all. This may be impossible but I am looking for a pesticide for my bonsai that is as natural as possible. I can't use pyrethrum as I have pets and it is toxic. If anyone has any remedies please let me know. It is mainly for my figs as they are getting attacked constantly by bugs.
Cheers in a advance

Most natural remedies specifically target one pest, do you know which ones are the culprits?

hey mate,

I have been having a pretty bad invasion of thrips lately on most of my benjaminas. I bought a systemic insectiside called max guard made by defender, which the active constituent is acetamipirid. A little research seems to suggest that this is actually quite harmless for your pets if used correctly. Basically try to remove all pests that you can see on your plants then give them a good spray until run off. I did this three days ago and no sign of any thrips as of yet. Prior to this i was painstakingly removing every affected leaf till no sign and the next day they were back. It also claims to kill and control azalea lace bugs, aphids, whitefly, scale, mealy bugs, and leaf hoppers. Highly recommended. Good luck.

srini

There are some pesticide that I've seen at Bunnings that sell natural pesticide and safe to use.

for an organic approach, you could try Neem Oil, again wont hurt mammals, is both a deterrent to insects but also a killer for chewing sucking insects.
And of course there is the old chilli and garlic mix as well.
good luck
Watty

Thanks guys. The main bugs are the ones that affect figs. The leaves curl up and inside are little bugs. I'm gonna try the Chilli and garlic.
Appreciated to all.

they're thrips mate

That's the one. They are a bloody nightmare. I am 5 floors up and they keep coming back.

Yates make aproduct called naturesoap which will do the trick... And yes you can buy it at the green shed.

http://www.yates.com.au/products/pest-c ... -killer-2/

Time for a disclaimer - i do work for Yates

What you want is either an oil (an oily fish emultion works well) and use it every 10 days or so or one of the other ''organic'' types but with a wetting agent added. (very important for waxy leaved species).

justjp, a little side note now that we have confirmed that it is thrips (?) you are concerned about.
Doesn't matter what you decide to treat these with if you don't get inside the little curled up leaf house they have created no product will effect them so be thorough.
Confidor is a great way to treat them as a systemic pesticide that'll clean 'em out. but you have lost the organic side of the equation.
just a thought
Watty

Thanks guys. Really appreciated. I have a few figs that have struggled with thrips and as such they don't look as good as they should due to continuously having to remove leaves. This has lead to great trunks but no density in the leaves.

K2bonsai gonna give your product and meel a go as well.

Tried the Chilli and garlic. No luck. Thrips are back. Aaaaah my figs are looking so bare.

Something like Chilli and garlic will be a contact pesticide which means it will only affect those bugs it comes into contact with, and not necessarily those with hard shells like scale. Trips create curled leaves to protect themselves so it will be hard to get all of them and their eggs so you will have limited success. This is where systemic pesticides give good results as any chewing pests will be affected by them. In a small back yard collection I cannot see any problems with the toxicity of the chemicals that are available from nurseries or box stores. They are not as toxic as their predecessors but still be careful to protect yourself and keep pets away for a day or so.