If you had the opportunity to read last week’s Ask the Expert column, you saw some field trial data that reinforces just how great that Certis USA’s Seduce® spinosad product really performs. The efficacy of Seduce is consistent and I’m always confident when recommending it to tree nut growers like you for control of ants, earwigs and cutworms.

If that awesome data last week wasn’t enough to convince you that Seduce is the bait product you need, it offers plenty of additional advantages for tree nut growers.

Take, for instance, Seduce’s ease of use. Seduce contains spinosad, which is derived from a naturally occurring soil dwelling bacterium that is formulated in a pelletized, soil-applied formulation that requires no mixing or spraying. For efficient growers in busy growing seasons, no mixing or spraying can be a huge way to save time. Following the labeled rates, just spread Seduce around the base of trees when the soil is wet and you’ll be good to go.

Speaking of saving, Seduce is economical and it lasts for a long time. One application of Seduce can be effective for up to four weeks. It even stands up to moderate amounts of rain.

If you have young trees, Seduce is going to be especially important to you in the coming weeks as they come under pressure from earwigs. It’s important to use Seduce to control earwig immatures before they become transient in the adult stage. Get them exposed to Seduce^® early and you’ll have a better chance to protect your younger block of trees against damage.

Harvest will be here before we know it, and it’s important to note how flexible Seduce is during that critical time. It is residue-exempt, has an REI of only 4 hours and a 1-day pre-harvest interval – offering in field and marketing flexibility to growers. Ants can really wreak havoc on your nut crops during harvest, literally eating your profits away. An application or two of Seduce to get ready for harvest is way more cost effective than losing your crop.

Seduce is both NOP-Compliant and OMRI-Listed, making it an ideal solution for grower of organic or conventional trees (or both).

If fire or harvester ants are prevalent in your orchards, you might consider deploying Seduce’s powerful active ingredient, spinosad, in Certis USA’s product Firefighter®. Firefighter is lightweight, so it makes it easy for ants to deliver back to their colony, which can see control in 3-14 days after treatment. 

If you are interested in deploying the power of Seduce or Firefighter into your IPM program this season, talk to your PCA, your local retailer or distributor or your Certis USA sales rep today. Remember, you can also always email me at [email protected].

We know that this is a crucial time during your growing year and a strange time in the world around you. Certis USA is still here for you and we are still committed to providing you the solutions you need for your farms to succeed.