Top 10 things to know about Envu

Photo courtesy of Envu

1. Know your enemies

Roses and many other plants are attacked by aphids, beetles, borers, caterpillars, midges, mites, sawflies, thrips and whiteflies. Being able to recognize not only pests, but also pollinators and natural enemies, is essential.

2. Scouting and monitoring

Regular inspection of plants, including the use of sticky cards (yellow and blue), allows for timely detection of flying pests like aphids, fungus gnats, thrips and whiteflies. Examine canes, stems and branches for the presence of armored or soft scale insects and mealybugs or the evidence of borers. When scouting during the growing season, be sure to unpot plants to examine the roots and the crown, not just for root rot, as pests overwinter as larvae/grubs.

3. Take, keep and review notes

Written records of which pest problems occur and when can help alert everyone in the operation about what pests to look for and where to look for them, including which varieties may be uniquely susceptible. Be sure to keep notes on regular preventative treatments along with any hotspots that may require intervention.

4. Use integrated pest management (IPM)

Start with virus-indexed roses and good horticultural practices. Overwatering is a common problem. Manage watering carefully, avoiding excess water and keeping foliage dry to reduce diseases. Successful IPM begins with healthy plants and integrates sanitation, weed management, resistant varieties, and cultural, biological and chemical controls.

5. Protect your (natural) enemies

Predatory mites, insects and parasitoids feed on aphids, whiteflies, thrips and spider mites, reducing insecticide inputs and facilitating good IPM practices and resistance management. A collection of banker plants can provide pollen and refuge for natural enemies.

6. Be strategic when choosing insecticides

It’s important to factor in where each target pest is in its lifecycle, making note of which insecticides used are ovicides, larvicides and adulticides. When evaluating efficacy, consider persistence, re-entry intervals, residue issues, resistance management and compatibility with natural enemies and pollinators. Remember, while many older chemistries are effective, they’re often highly toxic to natural enemies and pollinators.

7. Reactive or proactive?

Does the outbreak require a quick, reactive knockdown, or is it a chronic problem that may be managed proactively? Oils, soaps and pyrethroids like Talstar® are contact insecticides that provide the quickest knockdown for pests but may impact natural enemies and pollinators. Systemic products, like Altus®, Aria®, DurentisTM and Kontos®, do not have a “bee box,” can be applied to foliage for a quick knockdown or as a preventative drench, and are less toxic to natural enemies.

8. Understand insecticide mobility

Contact insecticides like Talstar kill pests directly during application or by contact with surface residues. Systemic insecticides like Altus, Aria, Durentis and Kontos are absorbed by plant roots or leaves and are translocated via the vascular system. They often persist for several weeks. Translaminar insecticides like Savate® are also absorbed by the plant, providing localized protection on both sides of treated leaves and protecting plants longer than a contact insecticide.

9. Spray or drench with intention

Treatment efficacy is dependent upon droplet size and coverage. Like pesticides, there is no one nozzle for all applications, and different sprayers require different nozzles. In the field, nozzles that create a medium droplet size provide proper doses and coverage while minimizing drift. In shade and greenhouses, where drift is less of an issue, a nozzle that produces a finer droplet will provide better coverage.

10. Manage pests and resistance

Insecticides and miticides have different modes of action (MOAs), or ways they kill pests. These MOAs are defined with code numbers by the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC). Rotate insecticides and miticides among different IRAC code numbers that target your main pests and avoid repeating any one group in back-to-back applications or within the same generation of pest. Keep in mind that some pests, like thrips, are more prone to insecticide resistance than others. Implementing everything at once can be challenging. Start with one or two improvements and build your pest management step by step.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL INSTRUCTIONS. Environmental Science U.S. LLC, 5000 CentreGreen Way, Suite 400, Cary, NC 27513. Envu, the Envu logo, Altus®, Aria®, DurentisTM, Kontos® and Savate® are trademarks owned by Environmental Science U.S. LLC or one of its affiliates. ©2026 Environmental Science U.S. LLC.