Can one spread of bait wipe out all your early pests?
Early last year you may have heard us talking about a new bait coming to the market called Transcend by Imtrade. Transcend is a snail bait which contains 50g/kg of Metaldehyde, which is the common active in most snail baits. However, the new Transcend also includes 1.5g/kg of Fipronil. The addition of Fipronil gives the bait the extra punch of controlling earwigs, slaters, millipedes, as well as slugs and snails. It has recently been approved with the APVMA and can be ordered through us for next season.
Why is this important?
The extra stubble retained from our minimum/no-till practices has created the perfect habitat for pests. Generally, these pests feed on the decaying plant material, but when conditions are dry and feed source starts to diminish these pests can attach young emerging crops causing significant damage and can require resowing if damage persists. This is why we have seen more and more in our cropping systems in recent years, causing damage to young crops as they emerge. By putting Metaldehyde and Fipronil together, it gives us an easier and safer way to control these pests. One single application of Transcend pellets means in some situations we may be able to avoid spraying other insecticides which are a higher risk for of target insects (beneficial’s).
How is Transcend better than other products?
Similar to Imtrade’s other snail and slug product MetaKill, the pellet provides higher loading of Metaldehyde than most other baits – 50g/kg compared to 15g/kg of Meta/Snailex. Transcend also had great rain fastness and longevity. This will save you, as in the right conditions only one application of bait would be needed each season. Imtrade says they are leading the market in terms of both rain fastness and accuracy of baiting, in terms of the number of baits per m2. Transcend’s smaller pellet size, and higher active loading means you don’t have to use as much to achieve the effectiveness per hectare. For example, to achieve a spread of 400,000 baits per hectare (recommended baits rate by GRDC research), you will need a rate of 4kg per hectare of Transcend, compared to 15.4kg of Meta. Another benefit of the Fipronil in the Transcend bait is that only the insects that eat the bait are effected. This is very important for a good IPM strategy, as it leaves all of the good bugs alive in the paddock, unlike broad-spectrum sprays of chlorpyriphos. Look to apply Transcend just after sowing to provide maximum protection from the emerging crop and long residual protection.
How do I get some, and how does it compare with other bait costs?
Get in contact with our team today if you want to get your hands on some for next season. It is priced very competitively. One spread of Transcend works out almost the same as one spread of MetaKill followed by a spray of Chlorpyrifos, but saves you the time and costs of two applications. Call our agronomists for more details.
Header photo cred: hradcanska /Flickr