Insecticide foggers

Slippertalk Orchid Forum

Help Support Slippertalk Orchid Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

swamprad

Memphis Orchid Society
Joined
Nov 9, 2007
Messages
1,086
Reaction score
15
Location
Memphis
I recently heard about the use of foggers for insecticides (from Art Chadwick). What we do now, spraying with a battery powered sprayer, is time consuming and not very healthy, imho. Does anyone have experience with using a fogger for insecticides? My greenhouse is not large, 18 x 24, and I can't afford a big fogger like Art uses. We found a smaller unit, the hurricane, that is about $250. Any comments appreciated.
 
I used foggers in commercial greenhouses on annuals in the past for aphids.
The foggers were effective, but you have to keep out of the gh for a couple
of days and most of the blooms were destroyed. Of course, it depends on
the insecticide you intend to use and the type of plants. The plants recovered, but I lost a good bit of time on the spring crop of annuals.

An additional thought, I can't remember the type of foggers I used, but to get complete
coverage I had to use four of them in the corners of the greenhouses. I only used them
one year and got rid of them. The smell lingers forever and customers would often
go into the greenhouses even with warning signs posted on the doors.
 
Angela, when you say "foggers", do you mean smoke bombs that you light with a sparkler and then run for the door?

Swamprad, I use an electronic paint sprayer to "fog" plants with insecticide and more often, horticultural oil mix (to get spider mites). I start at the far end of the greenhouse and back up towards the door as I go. I turn off the fans so that the fog doesn't get swirled around and onto me. Of course, as I back up, I'm pointing the fogger in the opposite direction, moving it back and forth, up and down, to get the fog to thoroughly penetrate all the dense foliage. 'Works pretty well at getting good coverage.
 
I used a larger version of the one swamp has the link posted. I tried smoke
bombs too, but didn't like them for the same reasons. I think your method
makes more sense for a commercial greenhouse, John. It takes more time,
but you don't kill blooms or customers.
 
I remember a long time ago I used a fogger pretty much daily; but back in those days we called it a bong...
 
i've used stationary and hand foggers. I think they can be the best for totally surrounding plant/pests if you have the right one for your situation. It is good to have fans off while you are actively fogging, but once you are back outside it's best to turn fans back on to get the chemical everywhere. Nowadays most insecticides have 12 hour REI's, so if you fog one day and leave it overnight, you can go right back in the next morning. If you've sprayed a greenhouse, and people aren't smart enough to stay out, lock the door! :) You do have to be very careful if you are applying by hand, or are in a greenhouse while a fogger is going off, because many respirators aren't equipped to prevent passage of particles created by a fogger
 
I remember reading in an old 'how to' book on fogging greenhouses to get rid of pests circa 1902. The principle was to use a red hot coal shovel, and sprinkle napthalene flakes on the shovel while you back away from the deepest recess of the greenhouse toward the door. It seems that it was equally effective in killing ants, mites, mealy bugs, slugs and the resident horticulturist.
 
Thanks for the comments. I guess my main concern has been -- will it work as well as spraying? And of course, the hope is that it will work even better, the fog reaching every inch of the plant where a spray might miss.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top