Bt, a biological agent based selective insecticide should (as far as science currently understands) do no harm to animals other than the target ones. There are a number of Bt strains make sure you select the most appropriate one (var. kurstaki i.e. Bt-k in this case I suppose). Be aware that this is effective only during the larva stage of the insect. If you can find some info about the insect's life cycle you may be able to appropriately time the applications. Only use on plants that are food source for the target larvae. There's no point in discriminating between heavily or lightly infested plants. As always, resistance can develop so use sparingly. Some would recommend supplanting this with limited use of an appropriate non-systemic insecticide (e.g. Chlorpyrifos or pyrethroid based) if the problem becomes too big, but I won't since you are the no-spray type (and rightly so) so I won't encourage you to use insecticides however 'mild'. What I would suggest is to check if you can procure also another type of biological selective insecticide based on the 'Steinernema Carpocapsae' nematode and use that alternating with the Bt. For a product available in Italy see link below (no idea if it is available to amateur growers). I believe the most you can accomplish is control the issue not eradicate it. That would require a state organized effort. BTW many people around the world consume Bt in the way of genetically modified crops thanks to Monsanto and the like... I don't know if this is any consolation for you or not..

PS. Just to mention that biological agent products have a strict expiration date and once the packaging has been opened has to be used relatively fast otherwise they become ineffective. If you can try to only buy and open the quantity you are going to use soon (like in a month or so). I would prefer the dry powder or grain based products than the liquid ones since the dry products tend to have a better shelf life.

Nematode product

Nik, thank you very much for the information, all of it to the point and helpful. After I posted this I had the bright idea of asking at Coldiretti, the Italian farmers' organization, to whom I bring certain of my problems: they pointed me to the provincial phytosanitary service who offered information in line with what you and others said; also I found a useful-looking Italian Internet site for organic products and information on pest control. I've finished my first round of spraying. Need to look into your nematode suggestion, and the site recommended pheromone traps. One can also hope that our birds, bats, and other insect eaters will help out, but the evidence certainly suggests that they can't control these foreign invaders on their own.

Thanks again!

Melissa

I read that the main known predator of these pests in Europe is the Asian hornet that may or may not have been introduced in Italy. Regarding pheromone traps you will have to locate ones specifically targeting this family of insects.

I don't want to know about more box pests and diseases ! I don't see any sign of Cylindrocladium buxicola, the worst disease of them all but I have had Psylla buxi, box suckers, for the past two years.

I wish you luck, Marianne: it's an awful pest. Nik, I read that the hornets are in France but haven't heard about them arriving in Italy. I have my doubts about the wisdom of wishing for more hornets than we already have, but they'll probably show up here sooner or later regardless of what I think, since France is just next door.

P.S. I just read the Wikipedia article about the Asian Hornet. It does not sound like a good neighbor.

I'm referring to Vespa velutina not Vespa mandarinia. Both are invasive species but the latter one is a beast.

So I gathered. Thanks for the clarification. I live peacefully enough with the native hornets, of which we have a good population, but the V. mandarinia sounds bad, worse even for bees than for people. I like our bees. Time to read up on Vespa velutina.

hello

OK, I'll try again...Melissa, I wanted to comment and ask you for information (I'm the same bart as before that lives in Tuscany). First of all, I had an enormous problem with Oxythyrea funesta and Cetonia aurata,which, thanks to the pherormone traps developed by Csalomon The Plant protection Institute in Hungary,now seems to be resolved more or less (keeping fingers crossed, of course...). I'm ordering again from them this year, just to be on the safe side, but frankly I'm delighted with the results I've obtained thanks to these scientists . This isn't a commercial outfit,by the way. Here's the address of their site http://www.csalomontraps.com/
I wanted to ask you: who did you contact specifically at Coldiretti who was helpful? I visited the site but just felt confused and baffled... I would like very much to contact them,just to ask if they would be interested in the work that the Plant Protection Institute is doing. I would love to encourage a more organic and safe approach to agricultural issues in Italy.
Another question: could you pass along to me the address of the "provincial phytosanitary service" that the Coldiretti person told you about? I'd also love to have an address for the Italian Internet site that offers organic products and information. I am very anxious to increase my own knowledge of this stuff,and also to do my best to encourage this culture in my area; we are pretty " backward"here, I'm afraid,and I'd like to do my best to try to change that..... many thanks in advance, and best wishes,bart

Hello, Bart. I knew that was you. I'm afraid my thanks are due to you rather than the other way around, as I'll be looking into site you give in your message: the beetles are a plague here too, especially Oxythyrea funesta (and it is funesta for a fact). About Coldiretti, we're members, and DH just walked into the local office and asked for information and was given the phone number of the Phytosanitary Service. Since it was for Piacenza it won't do you any good. You probably have a Coldiretti office in your area where you could ask for information; Coldiretti seems to provide some services to other people than members, and they have always struck me as helpful types, so they could tell you whom to contact. They're a capillary kind of organization, not one of the sort where you have to make an appointment and go to the city to find someone to talk to, but very much on the ground and available to people with questions.

I don't remember the site I found last time and I didn't write it down, but if you do a search on 'piralide del bosso' it will bring up all kinds of sites and a lot of information. Once I got confirmation that Bacillus thuringensis subsp. Kurstaki was the proper treatment--this seems to be the official line--we bought it at the local...what in the U.S. would be a feed store, or at least that's its nearest equivalent...and did some heavy duty spraying. We used the commercial product, that employed by farmers, and a backpack sprayer. This was in powder form and cost €45, and while I doubt we'll use more than a small percentage of the stuff I believe it will still work out cheaper than the home garden preparation. The name is CoStar WG, manufactured by Certis. The liquid used for home gardening, which I tried first, seemed considerably less effective and cost more. We have several dozen box plants, some of them fairly large. We did two treatments at an interval of a week with the commercial product, after a first treatment with the home garden preparation. DH and I divided the spraying--it wasn't easy: some areas were so steep that I was thinking longingly of climbing harness--taking about five hours for a full treatment of all our box. Currently the box tree moth seems to be MOSTLY under control; I saw only one plant, that DH missed, with living caterpillars, and nothing was completely defoliated, though quite a few plants were hit hard with this spring's infestation. Now that we've had a good rain and I can hope that they'll leaf out again, I can trim back the defoliated young growth. Of course new growth may bring a new infestation, I believe this is going to be a permanent problem.

About your idea of talking with Coldiretti about more environmentally friendly ways of dealing with pests--if I understand you; I may not--well, good luck. Two things: first, there is a lot of research going on in Italy about more environmentally friendly ways to farm. I get Coldiretti's regional (Emilia-Romagna) monthly magazine and read parts of it, and there's quite a lot about research with this kind of orientation. Second, from what I see of the local farmers, they tend to be traditionalists, to put it kindly, and not much given to continuing education, attention to research, or concern for the environment. This is purely on the basis of my personal experience and observation, and it's not coming from a person who has an agricultural background. Also agricultural culture may vary from place to place: farmers in your area may be considerably different from those in mine, not to mention that I've had contact with only a few of the local farmers. Even here locally there may be considerable variation in practices and culture.

Melissa

Just to point out that both Oxythyrea funesta and Cetonia aurata are coleoptera (beatles). AFAIK the recommended variety of Bt for coleoptera is not 'kurstaki'. Var. 'tenebrionis' might be more appropriate but I'm not sure. There are many strains of the bacillus which are quite specific as to their targets.

I was talking about Bt 'Kurstaki' for the Box Tree Moth, alias piralide del bosso, alias Cydalima perspectalis, not for the beetles. I've never done pest control for these two beetle species, both of which annually ravage my roses and sometimes other flowers, but the thought does have considerable appeal.

Yes, I understood that Melissa, this was the original discussion after all. I just thought I should clarify for the benefit of other readers (including Bart).

I'm sort of sorry i didn't post this sooner, Melissa,since I've already done my trap order; if not, maybe we couldv'e ordered together, and saved something on the really high shipping costs. Well, maybe next year; even if i don't continue to need Oxy baits and traps, I see that they DO sell lacewings, for example...I'd suggest that you write to them first, to ask advice about how many traps you'll need, etc; if it was me, while I was at it, I'd run the Box Tree Moth problem by them; you never know! maybe they are working on something for those pests, too. Trapping is nice, because for one thing, it isn't as tiring as spraying, and secondly, I gather that ANY kind of spraying-even if it's just a Bt-is better to avoid when possible.
Living in Italy can be so frustrating. The attitude in my area seems even more "backward" than in yours; they don't have Bt stuff at our agraria (feed store type place),for example. Did I tell you the sad tale about the chestnut trees? they imported a kind from Asia that resists some blight or something, only to find that by accident they's also imported some foreign bug that devastated ALL the chestnut trees...and what was their solution? they imported YET ANOTHER FOREIGN BUG that supposedly will deal with Bug Number One...but with what consequences,we ask fearfully? wasn't this sort of how Rose Rosette Disease got started? See why I'd like to spread the word about the work of these scientists? I'm glad to hear that a lot of research is being done, and improvement probably IS being made,but around here...hmmm...I seem to remember not seeing any local Coldiretti places near me; the closest would be in Bologna...Well, I'll try to investigate the question some more. Fact is, my area is very hilly foot-hills of the Appenines, really, so agriculture doesn't really exist on a large-scale basis as it does in Emilia-Romagna...regards, bart