Calpyso (thiacloprid)- Calypso is next in the line of neonicotinyls registered on apples and pears that has lepidopteran activity, also primarily limited to codling moth. Calypso and Assail are very similar products, with regards to toxicity and efficacy against most pests. Practical resistance management would suggest that growers should limit the number of neonicotinyl applications in a season, so care must be taken when adding Calypso to a program that is already using Provado, Actara or Assail. Calypso also has a more restrictive label than Assail. For example, Calypso has a 30 day PHI, applications are not allowed between pink and petal fall in both pears and apples, 100 ft buffer for aerial applications near rivers and streams, and several endangered species restrictions (see label).
Lepidopteran pests
Codling moth – Calypso appears to have a high degree of activity
against codling moth, with expected results very similar to Assail. Calypso
also has the same ovicidal properties as Assail. Our data suggest that
growers should be able to replace a Guthion spray with a Calypso spray
and not notice a significant decrease in control. Both Assail and Calypso
will allow growers more flexibility with worker reentry intervals than
Guthion. Rotating Calypso with Assail cannot be considered resistance management
as these products belong to the same class of chemistry and have the same
mode of action.
Leafrollers – We have not tested Calypso in the field against leafrollers. However, laboratory bioassays indicate that Calypso has only low toxicity to neonate larvae.
Lacanobia fruitworm – We have not tested Calypso in the field against Lacanobia. However, laboratory bioassays indicate that Calypso has only low toxicity to neonate larvae.
Indirect/secondary pests
Calypso is a good leafhopper material and definitely has campylomma activity,
but perhaps not as strong as Assail. However, a preliminary Calypso label
restricts use between pink and petal fall. Make sure to follow label
restrictions when applying Calypso during this time period. Calypso has
the same activity as Assail against the green aphid complex and rosy
apple aphids. The earlier it can be applied against rosy apple aphids
the better. Calypso does not have activity against woolly apple aphids.
Pear pests
Calypso is effective against pear psylla and grape mealybug, like Actara,
Provado, and Assail, and also can be used for codling moth control, like
Assail. Calypso has been shown in field tests to control high densities
of pear psylla in prebloom, petal fall, and summer applications, much
the same as the other neonicotinyls. In field tests against grape
mealybug, at all appropriate timings, Calypso also significantly reduced
the populations, but not to the same degree as the other three neonicotinyls.
Pest mortality was increased when oil was added to Calypso applications,
and Calypso appears to have the same negative effects against campylomma
as the other neonicotinyls.
In field trials against codling moth, Calypso successfully controlled high populations of codling moth, comparable to both Guthion and Assail. However, use of this material against codling moth in pear comes with the same caveats as with Assail; it may be more important to direct this class of insecticides at pear psylla rather than codling moth, where there are other effective alternatives.
Beneficial arthropods
Given the efficacy against codling moth, the tendency may be to use multiple
applications in a season, however both a 2- and 4-spray program have
caused detectable mite flareups, some quite severe. At least some of
this effect is attributable to a deleterious effect on predatory mites.
This effect has been quite consistent in orchards with previous history
of mite problems, thus risk of mite disruption is rated high in such
areas. However, risk is mitigated if only a single application is made
to an orchard with a stable mite situation. The addition of 1% oil to
an Assail spray (the oil itself is miticidal) may help to reduce mite
flare-ups in some, but not all, situations. The cumulative effect of
multiple neonicotinyl applications for multiple years is unknown,
but elevated risk is probable.