Bees gone for a break too?

 I am concerned that after using a tomato dusting powder, that the bees have
gone missing in my garden.
While I would like to prevent tomato diseases which have decimated my tomato
plants later on in the season, with the leaves curling up, and going brown
and drying up. I am not sure of what do.
Yates do warn of not using the dusting powder, when bees are foraging, but
what else can you do to prevent diseases?
Any ideas anyone?

 g'day jonno,

try to find varieties that better suit your conditions? they may be
more disease resistant, not so sure that the symptom you described is
anything but natural, when my plants get older into the season the
bottom leaves begin to go brown and curl etc.,. but it has never
affected the end of the cropping.

you might have to look at garden drainage is it as good as it should
be? or watering habits maybe too much watering? once a week for well
mulched plants should do odd occassions twice a week. do you do much
fertilising? if so maybe cut that down or out once the plants are
growing, we don't fertilise all we do is feed the gardens our kitchen
scraps and use green type mulches.

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

 Jonno wrote:

Dust at night when the bees are home in bed.  Seriously, they go home at
sunset.

David

 Yes, I did that, but the dust remains and they disappeared at the same time.
Also its best to dust the tomatoes (and other plants) when you've just
watered as the dust stays on better.
But the problem of bees is rather strange.
I'll be more careful in the future.
But I wonder when I should start dusting, as problems don't occur till later
on in the season as a rule.

 On Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:51:38 +0000, Jonno wrote:


Correct me if I'm wrong somewhere;
1. Tomato dust is an insecticide,
2. Bees are insects,
3. Therefore the tomato dust has killed off the bees.