Sorry to get this thread a bit off topic, but...
P.s. I was looking at the label in the first pic, it looks like they've used neonicitinoids (sp?) on em. Be sure to remove any flower buds for the next 10 years. They'll kill the bees.
Really?! I "have" to use this class of insecticide (dinotefuran) on my banyan tree each year (lucky I guess bc receptacle of flower is inaccesbile to a bee) bc of horrible whitefly infestation. I've used it with a understanding that they have a reasonable half life.. Annual application due to observation of it not working after about 9-10 months and recommended rate. I also do a basal trunk application which confines it, mostly, to the tree. This is recommended by my extension office btw.
This paper
Are Neonicotinoids Killing Bees indicates quite a range of half-lifes in soil (depending on which, Table 3.1). I believe half-lifes are much quicker with photodegredation also. I'm def gonna read this whole publication though, so I'm better informed.
You got me sweating
bc I like to think I'm responsible as I can be when I HAVE to resort to synthetic chems, which isn't often. But in my state we have crazy and out of control introduced pests. These whiteflys (an exotic introduced type) are defoliating our native ficus like the plague.
And for what it is worth.. I had to have a bee colony, that occupied a screech owl nesting box, professionally relocated from the same tree that I treat. In my area, it's hard to believe that there is a problem with the bee population, though I know it to be true. I know of an active hive in a neighbor's tree that has been there for at least 3 years now.
BTW, just out of curiosity, what did you notice that indicated the use of an insecticide hcc?
Still, probably pretty good advice to remove the flower buds from the cacti for the next few years at least