An insect bait adjuvant for fruit flies

To get the best cost-benefit from Probandz® use 4% of the full approved insecticide rate in low spray volumes (40L/ha soft fruit; 80L/ha tree fruit) and apply in a band, treating 4-8% of the crop canopy.

Check the latest pesticide approvals and specific rates for your crop,. Examples of commonly used insecticides include:

Always refer to the pesticide label.

Never exceed 50% of the full approved insecticide rate.

Begin applications as soon as monitoring traps indicate the presence of SWD, before egg-laying begins.

Repeat as necessary, following the statutory conditions of use for the insecticide used.

For best effect apply mid-afternoon against SWD.

Spray onto dry leaves within 24 hours of mixing.

Band treatment: Adapt the spray equipment to apply low volumes of water per hectare as a band treatment. Ask your agronomist for help if required. Examples:

• Cane fruit: Treat every second row with 2 nozzles per side to deliver a 1m band below flower height
• Cherry: Apply a 2m band to the canopy down one side of each tree
• Strawberry: Apply a 20 cm band with a single nozzle over each double row

Mixing: Premix Probandz® with warm water (Max 40°C, 1:1 ratio) and stir immediately, before adding the diluted mixture to the spray tank liquid.

Nozzle types for band treatments: Use nozzles that result in coarse droplets (E.g. 340 micron droplets): IDK 120-015 (Lechler); Airmix 110015 (Greenleaf); AVI/CVI 90-015 (Albuz); or equivalent.

Tank mixes: Do not mix with other insecticides, fungicides, adjuvants, or foliar fertilisers unless compatibility is checked before use, and if conditions are not recommended for partner pesticides.

Clean sprayer after using Probandz®

ProBandz® is used only as an adjuvant at a maximum concentration of 5% spray solution.

ProBandz® is approved for use in the UK with all authorised plant protection products on all edible and non-edible crops, provided that the statutory conditions of use for the pesticide are followed and that the pesticide is not used at more than 50% of the maximum approved rate for that application.

Follow all operator protection instructions for the plant protection product. Where the personal protective equipment specified on the adjuvant label is different to that specified on the plant protection product label, the highest level of protective equipment must be worn.
It is the responsibility of the end user to ensure the active substance or plant protection product referred to on this list entry are currently authorised for use when applying in a tank mix.

To check authorised products please go to: Pesticides Register – Search Page (Pesticides Register – Search Page).

To check active substances please refer to either the EU database (EU Pesticides Database (v.2.2) Search Active substances, safeners and synergists) or the GB register Click Here >> as necessary.

I don’t know the degradation of the ProBandz on leaves. With repeated weekly sprays, we have shown good control of SWD over several weeks so I don’t think there is a problem of SWD being attracted to ProBandz after the pesticide efficacy has gone.

The ProBandz is a food grade molasses so that is not a problem.  Pesticide residues in fruit are lower than if pesticides are applied at full field rate. The bait spray is also applied as a band, away from the fruit.

We have not observed any wasps (or bees) being attracted to sprayed leaves.

We have not seen sooty moulds under normal polytunnel RH conditions.  We have seen sooty mould in small enclosed compartments where RH was at dew point.  No phytotoxicity has been observed on strawberry, raspberry and charry

Apply when SWD are most active, typically in the mid-afternoon. We also got good control in cherry when we sprayed between 9am and 11am to avoid the heat in the polytunnel. SWD activity depends on the weather.