Is BATS still effective if it was left outside to freeze?

I have searched high and low for my bottle of BATS and finally found it, in the bottom cabinet of my potting bench. That means it was under there all thru the winter and would certainly have frozen, then been out in the heat all summer. Do you think it's still going to be effective, or should I pitch it and get a new bottle?

Also, I've found tiny yellow bugs, aphids, I guess, on several of my Hoyas. Is that normal and will BATS kill those?

Thanks all!

This seems to be the aphids I'm seeing on the Hoyas. http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/showimage/1049/ I've been hosing them off so far, but that's a losing battle. Funny, though, they're only on three of my Hoyas and not on the others...

RainGazer, most insecticide labels have a "Keep from freezing" notation on them, so I would say your bottle should be pitched (as a HazMat, not in the trash!!) and a new bottle obtained. I saw these in the season clearance section of WalMart yesterday for $10 a bottle!

Barb

Amy, you could try giving the hoyas a soapy water bath, using dish washing soap. I had a huge problem with aphids on my Gardenia bushes over the years and a nursery guy told me to use dish soap. I don't know why I didn't think about it before that ... many years ago @1967 (before dishwashers, or at least before we had one) a friend of my mother's told me to use the dirty dish water from the dish pan for my plants ... she swore it worked keeping the bugs away and keeping foliage clean! I've done it a few times over the years and it seems to work. Sure is safer for the environment too! Works on soft bodied insects.

Ok ... I just googled aphids and dish soap and found this: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf732331.tip.html and Dawn Dish Liquid is what I use.

I just bought a bottle of BATS to prep for bringing my plants in the for winter. $19.95 a bottle! DH liked to had passed out right there in the store when I put it in the basket. Gotta have it!

I get those yellow/orange aphids on my H. linearis when I put it outside for the summer. It's the only hoya the yellow aphids bother.

Can I ask a stupid question? What is "BATS"? Is it an acronym for something else?
Thanks,
Mike

p.s. I would not grow hoyas without using Marathon systemic insecticide. It's amazing stuff and keeps the hoyas free of mealy bugs.

Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub: http://www.bayeradvanced.com/productFamily/tree-and-shrub-care.html

Mike...Marathon is the "industrial' form of BATS (Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub). It is very slow working...VERY...I use it but I also drench everything with BATS once a year too in my greenhouse. Marathon has to be worked into the soil...BATS is a drench.

Thanks!

BATS has the same active ingredient as Marathon i.e. Imidacloprid. The only difference is that Marathon is granular rather than liquid.
Mike

Hi AH,
Thanks. I've found that Marathon won't kill adult mealy bugs. the Marathon just makes them a little sick. (:o)

Marathon will kill young mealies, however. I use a 50/50 mix of 16 oz, 70% rubbing alcohol and 16 oz of water with a couple of tsp. of Dove or Ivory dish soap added. This mixture kills any insect on contact (except for scale).

If I find mealies on a plant, I need to spray the plant to kill the adult mealies and then apply the Marathon. I will pick up some of the BATS to use also. I am assuming that the BATS will kill the insects on contact? Or is it just quicker to be absorbed into the plant due to it already being in a liquid form?
Thanks,
Mike

You can get it in a spray form..and it will go systemic but is effective only for about 2 weeks. The most effective way to use the BATS - and I find it more effective than Marathon - is to put the plant/plants in a tray that will hold a couple inches of water. Water the plants (IN the tray) with the BATS mixture and allow them to sit in that tray soaking up the runoff for about 5mins. The plants need to be thoroughly drenched. It lasts for almost a year.

BATS/Marathon active ingredient, Imidocloprid, is the same stuff people put on their animals' back to kill and repel ticks and fleas.

Thank you all very much! I did indeed get a fresh bottle of BATS and after treating all the plants (that should take roughly forever!) I'll be sure to put it somewhere that is temperature controlled.

I got the regular BATS, but also got a bottle of the 3-in-1 for Roses. They didn't have the regular concentrate, just the bottle you hook to the water hose. I would like to use that first, as we do have spider mites, and then a couple weeks late use the regular BATS. Think that would be safe for the plants, or too much on them?

Thanks again!

I would read the label and NOT drench with the BATS until the effects of the 3 in 1 have worn off and then wait a week.