Admire

• Admire is the brand name of several pesticides labeled for control of pests infesting apple, potato, cotton and many other types of plants. The active pesticide ingredient in Admire is imidacloprid, a common pesticide chemical. Admire is typically used as a soil drench pesticide, Bear in mind that pesticide chemicals are regulated on a state-by-state basis, so this formulation may not be available in your area or it may be illegal for consumers to purchase and can only be applied by a professional.
  
  

Effectiveness

• The effectiveness of Admire as an aphid control method depends on many unique factors, including the size of the aphid infestation, the presence of aphid predators and the like. But along with other neonicotinoid insecticide products such as Alias and Assail, Admire is one of the most commonly recommended pesticide chemicals for aphid control. To a large extent, the effectiveness of Admire in controlling aphid populations also depends on whether or not proper application techniques were used, a factor that underscores the importance of following the manufacturer's printed application instructions meticulously.
  
  

Concerns

• Experts are consistent in their recommendation to limit Admire applications to no more than two per growing season. Due to the limited number of chemical pesticides approved for apple aphid control, pesticide tolerance is a common problem and is exacerbated by repeated uses. Admire also had a tendency to kill apple aphid predators that would otherwise keep apple aphid populations under control, counter-intuitively requiring more applications. Repeated use of Admire is also believed to contribute to outbreaks of mites that are damaging pests of apple trees as well.
  
  

Other Insecticide Suggestions

• There are many other approved insecticides used for control of apple aphids; their active pesticide ingredients include acetamiprid, azadirachtin, chlorpyrifos, clothianidin, diazinon, flonicamid, pyridaben, pyriproxyfen, spirotetramat, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam. These chemicals are sold under a variety of trade names and all can be effective to differing degrees in controlling apple aphid populations before they threaten the health and life of your apple tree.