Bacillus thuringiensi

[Galette]

Has anyone any comments about or experience of using [spoiler]Bacillus thuringiensi [/spoiler] for the control of caterpillars on brassicas?

[Galette]

[davejg]

I used it for some years. very good at controlling caterpillars. Then i couldn't find it any where.

[Galette]

Has anyone any comments about or experience of using [spoiler]Bacillus thuringiensi [/spoiler] for the control of caterpillars on brassicas?

Thanks davejg.

BTW, why did my original posting do that strange 'spoiler highlight to read' thing.........?

[Galette]

Is no-one out there speaking to me ?  :-[

[grawrc]

I don't [spoiler]know[/spoiler]

[grawrc]

Actually I do - I was only kidding! You must have clicked on the spoiler button (SP) (Add BBC tags) and then typed in the bacillus thuringiensi.

[Kea]

Hi I was wondering that. I helped with some research on it in the 80's and it was like myxomatosis for catepillars. Horrible watching them die slowly in petri dishes all round our lab.

[Galette]

Thanks Grawrc, I thought SP was spellcheck, now I see it is at the foot of the page!!

Kea - now here's a dilemma.  I grow my fruit and veg as organically as possible, the only thing I use is occasionally I put slug pellets in those mushroom-shaped things to keep them from birds and pets.  Assuming I could get this in France, would I be safe using it on brassicas, do you remember? As for the moral side - I have quite freely sprayed insecticide on non-food plants and haven't felt too bad at the effects.  Opens up a whole new debate really, how much suffering is felt by these creatures?

[Kea]

I think it tends to target caterpillars specifically. I don't know about its safety....might be why its disappeared.

[Galette]

Right, thanks Kea.  Certainly needs to be considered carefully.

[grawrc]

I understand that Monsanto [spoiler]the bad guys[/spoiler] use it to genetically modify [spoiler] :o :o :o[/spoiler] plants which then become resistant to their predators and in some cases kill them off.

[Galette]

WOW.  That sounds like stuff I want to avoid !

[Robert_Brenchley]

There's nothing wrong with using the straight caterpillar disease; it's when it's put into somethng else's DNA that it becomes dodgy.