I'm with Jeff. Once you've knocked the aphids off, they may not
return. Any liquid will do that. If they've laid eggs, more aphids
might appear. Perhaps ACT coating the eggs is detrimental to hatching and
you've prevented their return by spraying, or maybe it's just good luck if they
don't return. Jeff's greenhouse is a better test; greenhouses are spas for
nasty bugs.
When Bob first raved about ACT stopping tent caterpillars, I brewed up a
big batch and sprayed everything I could reach. Seattle, where Bob has his
warehouse, had a few tent caterpillars. Kitsap County, where I live,
was the center of the infestation. I can't say it didn't help--maybe
things would have been worse without it. ACT certainly didn't arrest
activity of all the tents I sprayed. They didn't like getting wet but
resumed activity within a few hours. However, I was able to reach only a
small fraction of the tents as I have 5+ acres of forest, with many alders (the
caterpillars' favorite food).
All my alders were 50-100% defoliated. I sprayed Bt on my fruit
trees, which did kill caterpillars. The trouble is, the caterpillars have
to eat a bit of the foliage in order for their digestive systems to seize
up. This infestation was of biblical proportions, so everything they liked
was defoliated, Bt or no, as another caterpillar started munching as the
previous one was dying. Then they started on the stuff they didn't
especially like, broadleaf evergreens of the Heath family like native
rhododendrons, salal and evergreen huckleberries.
This is more than anyone wants to know, I'm sure, but experiencing an
insect infestation of this magnitude is amazing.
In conclusion, I hope we will be careful about not overselling ACT.
Healthy plants definitely resist pests and my personal experience attests to
that (excepting the epic infestation). But ACT can sound like snake oil
easily enough if you're just describing its positive affect on plant growth and
how it can outcompete pathenogenic organisms when applied to foliage. I
share the enthusiasm for ACT but hope we don't overreach.
Susan Cruver
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