Your miracle has arrived. From here on, year after year, you can stop spraying for insects on a host of shrubs and trees. Kiss goodbye to armies of Japanese beetles destroying your roses because you’re now able to put the beetles in limbo; you may want to grow roses all over again! With northern gardeners who have never saved birch trees from leafminers and borers, you will now be able to see what heaven-on-earth is truly like; from here on, you won’t lose leaves to leafminers or branches to the bronze birch borer. The good news is anything is possible with a new product that stops most of the destructive insects on shrubs and trees for a year. That’s right, 12 months!

Remember the name - Bayer Advanced Garden Tree and Shrub Insect Control – because this is where your garden miracle begins. Some highlights to see why it makes miracles:

* It provides 12 months of non-stop control of most harmful insects;

* Like the aspirins you use, the product goes to all parts of the plant (systemic action) to stop bugs no matter where they’re biting, chewing, feeding, gnawing or napping;

* You never have to spray from here on. You mix the liquid in a gallon of water in a sprinkling can, then sprinkle it as a “drench” atop the soil near the trunk of the shrub or tree;

* Imidacloprid (eye-mida-klo-prid) is what saves plants. It’s the same ingredient found in “Merit” that’s stopped grubs and soil insects from killing your sunny lawn year after year. If you’re using something anything else, make sure you switch to Merit in all future years.

* You use the barest amount of the product to protect shrubs and trees. Never again will you use the hose-end sprayer to control insects.

* Consider the proven benefits when you use the new Bayer product:

Features & Benefits

* One Application per Year - 12 Month Insect Protection with One application

* Soil Treatments - No SPRAYING, just mix and pour, as a drench. - Can be applied anytime of the year except when the ground is frozen, or water logged. - Soil treatments eliminate spray drift.

* Broad-Spectrum Insect Control - Controls all major listed insect pests of trees and shrubs

* Systemic Action - Reduces impact on beneficial foliage inhabiting organisms - Imparts systemic Protection throughout the plant.

* No phytotoxicity - Safe to Trees & Shrubs

* New Chemistry - Provides an ingredient that insect pests are not tolerant to.

* Low Use Rates - Less insecticide in the environment.

* Good Ecological Profile - Low toxicity to mammals, birds, fish, and other non-target organisms.

How do you apply the Bayer product?

For trees, mix one ounce of Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control in one gallon of water in a sprinkling can for each inch of circumference of the trunk at shoulder height. Don’t guess. Wrap a tape measure around the trunk and you’ll know the inches right away. Add the appropriate liquid to one gallon of water and sprinkle near the trunk of the tree. For shrubs, estimate the height of the plant. Use three ounces of the Bayer product for every foot of shrub height in one gallon of water in a sprinkling can. Some examples:

* If the trunk of your maple tree measures 20 inches at shoulder height, pour 20 ounces of the Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Control in one gallon of water and pour near the trunk of the maple.

* If your azalea is two foot tall, pour six ounces of Bayer Advanced Garden Tree & Shrub Control in one gallon of water and sprinkle over the soil near the base of the azalea.

1. When is the best time of year to apply the product? You can apply anytime, but ideally well before the insects are due to arrive. Late fall applications are best to protect shrubs and trees for early spring arrivals of aphids, birch leafminers and such. For pests that arrive later in the growing season like Japanese beetles, spring applications are very effective. No matter when you apply the product, don’t treat plants when the ground is frozen or waterlogged. The liquid must be absorbed by the roots if it’s going to work.

2. What insects will the Bayer product control? Aphids, Adelgids, Lacebugs, Leafhoppers, Leafminers, Mealybugs, Psyllids, Scales, Thrips and Whiteflies. Routine applications control birch leafminers, black vine weevil larvae, bronze birch borers, leaf beetles on elms, Japanese beetles, leaf-feeding beetles, borers on alder, flatheaded borers on a host of trees, larvae of sawflies on evergreens, and larvae of pine tip moths. At the present time, the product does not control mites, nematodes, gypsy moths, fall armyworms and eastern tent caterpillars.

3. How long does the Bayer product work? A single application of this product provides12 months of residual control of insect pests on trees and shrubs.

4. Does the size of a tree make any difference? Yes. Trees generally differ in trunk size, so you have to measure if the product is going to give you the insect protection you want. Measure the tree trunk (circumference), then use one ounce of the Bayer product for every inch. Mix in a gallon sprinkling can, then apply to the soil near the base of the tree trunk.

5. Can you apply the product on fruit trees to stop insects? No. The product is not labeled or registered for application to fruit trees. If you mistakenly apply the product to a fruit tree, do not eat fruit from the tree for one year.

6. Will the product harm the lawn or plants growing around the base of trees? No! The product has been tested in more than 100 different field studies and no plant damage has been observed.

7. Can you mulch fallen leaves from treated trees in the vegetable garden? Yes. There should be no concern because the concentration of the product is very low in leaf tissue from trees that have been treated with the product.

8. How long does it take for the product to stop insects on shrubs and trees? Depending on plant species and size, it may require one to three months for the product to reach areas where insects are feeding. For small shrubs, the interval could be reduced to a week or more. For large shrubs and trees, two to three months may be needed before the product effectively controls pests.

9. Does the product harm beneficial insects like bees or butterflies? Soil applications of the Bayer product have been shown to be much easier on predatory and non-target insects than with applications to plant leaves. Soil application is the preferred method when it comes to saving non-target insects.

10. Assuming you have a 40-foot hemlock tree. When do you apply the product to control woolly adelgids which have been attacking the tree in the past decade? Soil treatments should be made when the soil is moist, not waterlogged, and before the ground freezes in winter. Fall (late August to early December) and spring to early summer are the optimal times for making soil applications to control woolly adelgids.

11. Can the product be used on rose bushes? Certainly. Estimate the height of the rose bush, then mix three ounces of the product for every foot of rose bush height. Add this to a gallon of water in a sprinkling can and apply as a drench around the base of the plant.

12. Can the weather affect how well the product performs on shrubs and trees? Certainly. Absorption of Imidacloprid is best when the tree or shrub is actively growing. Root absorption is slowed if the soil is frozen or during drought conditions during the growing season.

13. Do droughts hamper the product’s performance? If a drought happens when you are considering an application, root absorption may not occur. It is recommended that you soak shrubs and trees thoroughly before making the soil application when rainfall has been sparse.

14. Can too much rain impact the product’s performance? No! Once the product is applied to the soil, too much rain will not reduce the product’s performance; the systemic action of the product can’t be washed away.

15. Can you pour the product over shrubs and still achieve protection against insects? No! The product must be poured around the base of the plant. Always follow label instructions.

16. In the fall, sap typically runs down the tree trunk. How can the product possibly move up the tree? Trees and shrubs continue to absorb food and water throughout the winter months, especially evergreens, when soil temperatures are above 45 degrees.

17. Do different soils affect the product and how it performs? Field tests conducted across the nation (California to Rhode Island, Florida to Arizona) document the product’s performance. Professional arborists, tree care companies and lawn service firms have used the product for over four years with excellent results.

18. Can the product be used when you plant in the spring? Yes.

19. Can this product be used on flowers, perennials and groundcovers with the same effectiveness? No. The product is not labeled for application to these plants, therefore it should not be used for this purpose.

20. Will this product have any impact on soil insects like cutworms, earwigs and termites when applied as a drench around trees and shrubs? The product will suppress cutworm populations by approximately 60 percent, but it not likely to have any effect on earwigs. Imidacloprid is effective for termite control, and is marketed under the trademark Prermise. As the product label is written, however, it is not registered for control of these pests.

21. Is use of the product affected by freezing? The product should never be applied when the ground is frozen.