The following linked to 2011 reviewed scientific paper may be of interest to those who have, or are considering, an extensive spray program. Some interesting quotes from that paper follow: "Our findings are consistent with previous results for farm workers who were found to be at higher risk of cognitive impairment,23 31 37e39 although the agricultural settings varied between the studies and none were vineyards. The review by Kamel showed that among 21 studies on the cognitive effects of chronic pesticide exposure, 76% found positive associations with some tests and 82% found a relationship with psychomotor function.2" --------------------------------- "Overall, 13 (81%) of the 16 animal studies addressing cognitive impairment demonstrated a positive association with pesticide exposure." ----------------------------------- "The mild impairment we observed raises the question of the potentially higher risks of injury in this population and also of possible evolution towards neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer�s disease or other dementias. Numerous studies41e43 have shown that low cognitive performances are associated with risk of dementia. The recent review by Santibanez concluded there was a possible risk of Alzheimer�s disease in relation to occupational exposure to pesticides,8 a finding particularly borne out by the data of Tyas et al44 and Baldi et al45 in their prospective studies. The 12th year of follow-up in our cohort should shed light on this important issue." ----------------------------------- H.Kuska comment. I recommend utilization of the Precautionary Principle. Here is a link that might be useful: 2011 reviewed scientific paper

Hi All, Dale, thanks for asking these questions, because I am in a similar situation, and the answers are very helpful. I'm hoping you all can help me too. I live just South of Boston, and 20 miles inland. Zone 6 I planted 20 roses last year, and have chosen to keep a natural (chemicle free) garden. That being said, I was out admiring (inspecting) all the new leaf growth when I saw that somebody has been eating it all. I found many a little green worm, that looks and acts like an inch worm. He lives in new leaves and creates a make shift cocoon looking thing inbetween a folded leaf. I would love to know exactly how to kill him! hee hee My beautiful rose bushes are very bare right now, because they have been almost completely eaten. Any idea of who this bug is and how to get rid of him? Please advise. Also, just to confirm, the Bayer Disease Prevention you mention above, is a natural product and not a harmful chemicle? I haven't done any BS prevention and just learned here that I should be doing so! Thanks for your help.

jerijen, sound advice as usual and thank you. The problem is that every single one of them has one thing or another. Even some BS if it doesn't kill or seriously weaken the rose, I can put up with. Same with some others if they survive our winters and have pretty blooms whether they repeat often or seldom, have enough other color in those front beds now. This is only the 2nd year for all of them, first year for 11 of them. They've all had something, so right now it's a wait and see approach and just risk even losing some without spray. Plus I had to hold them in 5 gal buckets 3 wks last year from the deep freeze which didn't happen this year. Chronic nuisances I will replace. My two Charlotte, don't seem troubled by much of anything yet so far even with severe winter dieback with no protection but what mulch was left; those are the most susecptible to JB's but there are a couple others but a few they don't bother at all even with the traps drawing them. The jury is still out on those, too. Overall I think they may be helping, but haven't seen anything yet like some horrid photos I saw on the internet, can't see myself ever spraying for those. Two I suspect the main problem might be is that both are planted either side of a french drain and may have done some disburbance digging and installing that, or they are just weaker for some other reason or both, or it may just be too damp there for those two. But they are doing better this year compared to last. None in the shadiest plot on the east side except Veil is doing worth a darn, Thomas Affleck and 2 Gruss an Aachen, but they're own root and slower, and Thomas too big for there, not yet. An seriously considering digging those out regardless if they don't do better by next year, and don't seem particularly disease-prone except maybe some BS. I am willing to part with some of them, but not certain ones except as a last resort with, hopefully, no or very conservative spraying; i.e., if they don't have the blooms totally ruined, at this point if it continues, I have to do something. Like Evelyn which is very robust, would hate to part with her, and my once-bloomers which would be impossible to replace at this point because I don't even know for sure what they are. Nobody does. Don't want the whole yard full of Harison, but mine finally really took off and is little troubled by anything except possibly severe drought and possibly a little mildew, can't remember. So far, the ones with the shiny leaves seem more resistant, but problems with them, too, and one does have a little BS, Pat Austin, which I love and had some pretty blooms this year. I'm still too inexperienced to know what is going to work best. Sorry it's so long, hard to explain, and seem to have some similar problems compared to others but totally unique problems than anybody else here. A once-bloomer I rooted over the winter I thought was a goner, poor soil (can fix that partly) and shadier than I'd like, friend walking by said it looks like those are dying. Since I saw they were rootbound and had plenty of roots, I decided to leave them be and kept watering them. Now one has put out a healthy basal or sucker, some new, healthy growth on each, hope they put out enough for the new growth and canes to survive and get a fresh start next year.

Some time has passed since anyone has posted on this, but I used the Bayer Advanced product for fruit trees (apple in my case) - in about May of 2013 on 3 apple trees. Now that harvest time is here, my apples are bigger and less diseased then I've ever seen them. The trees are very old - over 50 years and not much has been done to them except the last few years - slight pruning and a little one-time application of this or a similar product - and sometimes a lime sprinkling. Anyway, I am now so concerned about having used this product that I'm looking for comments from anyone else who has. I called the company a couple of weeks ago and was told that the amount of Imidacloprid used in the product is so small that it will not affect the fruit in terms of it's 'edibleness'. OK - so I picked several bushels of apples and started making pies, etc. I did eat some - raw and cooked and this past week my tongue has been kind of numb. It is possible that I burned it or overbrushed it but am not sure. I'm wondering if anyone else has used this and had anything similar. I'm just trying to figure out if it could at all be related to the Imidacloprid in the apples. I really hope that is not the case. Others have eaten a few slices of pies and are not having any reactions so I'm probably just being paranoid. My trees are huge and I used less than what the recommended amount was - but reading all the different posts - I thought I'd resurface this and ask some follow-up questions. (Had tons of bees on them this year and used the product after flowers were all off). As I'm about to hit 'submit' - I'm realizing that my daughter's friend gets a numb tongue from apples - maybe its in a lot of the apples we eat and children would be more 'allergic' / sensitive to this .... ? food for thought.