I think the biggest mistake new gardeners make is thinking that vegetable gardening consists of planting seeds, watering them once and walking away.
And that might actually work for some things, but for the most part having a successful garden depends a lot on having a really good line of defence when it comes to pests. In the past I've found a shotgun works well with neighbours, but doesn't do so well with leaf chewers.
It's amazing how a .22 can take down a full grown man but not even phase a cabbageworm. Cabbageworms are tough little shitheads.
So today I'm going to share with you 2 of my most trusted, safe for the garden, pest control measures. That don't require gunpowder or a license.
My favourite pest control to use is Safer Brand Caterpillar Killer with BT, 8 Ounce Concentrate![""]("http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tharofdost-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000GA7ZO8")
BTK is a a natural bacterium found in soils that does a great job of controlling (and by controlling I mean killing) pests while not harming beneficial insects.
BTK only targets leaf chewers. In other words those bugs that are eating your food before you get a chance to.
For Corn worms ... Mix 1 part BTK with 20 parts mineral or vegetable oil and apply 5 drops to corn silks when silks have *just* turned brown.
For everything else, mix ¼ tsp. of BTK in 2 cups of water and spray tops and undersides of leaves, as well as stems. Repeat after rain.
And if it's your zucchini plants you're having trouble with the problem might be that you're growing them wrong. Here's how to grow zucchini the right way.
Use on ...
Garden Safe 93179 16-Ounce Neem Oil, Case Pack of 1![""](http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=tharofdost-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004QAWGIO")
">Neem Oil is another product that works well, but takes a bit longer to produce results. The only thing I use Neem oil for is in my attempts to control squash bugs. But what really works to control squash bugs is going outside with a pair of scissors twice a day and cutting the bugs in half. It's gross. Like really gross. Yucky. Especially when you have to cut two squash bugs who are having sex in half. It's disgusting on a whole variety of levels.
But it works.
I also use the scissors to cut away the portion of the leaf that has the squash bugs eggs under it.
Mix ½ teaspoon of Neem Oil with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle and spray tops and undersides of leaves, as well as stems.
Use on ...
Between the scissors, the shotgun, BTK and Neem Oil I'm hoping to be able to eat the majority of the produce I've grown this year myself. It's not that I don't like sharing. It's that I don't like sharing my food.
A point to add to this post, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not put anything that will kill caterpillars on your milkweed plants. I am surveying methods to protect my milkweed plants in my garden from leaf chewing pests, in particular earwigs in the top of my milkweed plants that are eating the buds as they try to form. I'm going with soapy water to start and earwig traps this evening. Other ideas accepted. My .22 will come out next.
All hail the pretty Monarch!!!
Ok, I'm late to the pest chat but wondering if anyone has any experience with black flea beetles? They are feasting on my potato plants, and I can only imagine what kind of damage they are doing to the plant roots. Help!!
I'll have to try these. I've found a concoction of 30 drops each of peppermint, rosemary, and cinnamon essential oils, 1 cup of red pepper flake "tea" strained, a good squirt of dawn dish soap and water works great. Spray on everything and the ground around it, keep critters great and small off your plants (including bastard deer) Oh, and a birdbath in the garden has cut out the squash bugs completely here, there's a lot of fat-n-happy birds about now!
I love your blog! Quick question; I've got Neem Oil in my cabinet to treat hot spots on my dog. Can I use this? It doesn't say "for the garden" is this the same thing?
Thank you!
Teresa - If it's 100% pure Neem Oil then it is the same thing. Mine says it's for "leaf shine", nothing about using it for pests. ~ karen!
For the Americans, BTK is usually labelled "Bt" Down here. Big B, little t. No idea why. It's effective, and will be located among the other organics plant stuff. Ladybugs/ladybirds and praying mantises/mantids are also very effective.
Death to bugs!!
Thanks Pam'a. I was actually confused by the different labelling. I guess that may be it ... American versus Canadian. ~ karen!
I did a little more research on Bt and Neem oil. Bt is best on larva, i.e., worms and caterpillars. Neem is a hormonal disrupter extracted from Neem seeds and seems to be a bit more aggressive. I found a nifty chart that lists what to use on what bugs in PDF form that might help: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lincoln/sites/default/files/vegetable_plant_insect_table.pdf
That's a great little chart! Thanks Pam'a. ~ karen!
Karen,
Whatcha got for chipmunks? They ate my sugar snap peas right to the ground, they ate my bush beans, they stipped the leaves from my pole beans, they ate half of the one measly strawberry I got on my new plants, and they ate ALL the unripe blueberries.
I'm going to war. I sprayed cayenne and garlic, and spread dog hair around.
If I can talk my hubby into it, I will "treat" with human urine, and if i can find some coyote scent or something, i may try that.
I am building some fences this weekend from double layer chicken wire, but I think that will only slow them down.
If I can find a source for castor beans, I will be throwing them in their burrow holes, like mini hand grenades.
I read 9v batteries may work, but its only a temporary fix and only works until the battery loses its juice.
I'm hoping you have some other miracle cure for these furry little rodents.
Just to save you wasting time and money, I will tell you what we've tried that doesn't work. All the homemade cayenne/jalapeno/onion/pepper flake concoctions failed. Seemed like they were working for 2 or 3 weeks then it looked like they learned to like the hot stuff like me. Ammonia soaked rags on the perimeter, on trees, on the fence on the rocks around the garden plots: their desire for our crops overcame their distaste for this (and urine, and Vicks vaporub, and vegetable shortening with a LOT of cayenne in it). 2 Feet of chicken wire keeps the rabbits out, but not the squirrels. The sprays that have dried blood and putrescent egg didn't work. We don't want to kill the birds so decided against electric fence mesh wire. We are going to try traps next and then drown them if we catch any (then maybe hang them on the fence as a warning). I would love to get one of those motion sensitive sprinklers like the 'scarecrow'; or a motion sensitive strobe light. Those might be fun even if they are not effective. Probably only deter cats. We live in town where neighbors are likely feeding the little darlings and they have no natural predators. Our 2 favorite sayings are, "I have an idea!" and "I refuse to surrender!"
Squash bugs? I've got the solution! I spray them with watered down dish soap. Kills them DEAD. Especially the babies. I find that I have to get rid of the eggs on the underside of the leaves, too. That is where they all live- I planted "spineless" zucchini this year, hoping to spare my arms the aggravation. The combination works like a charm. My zucchini was nearly bug free last year- first time!
Does Ed Lawremces dish detergent mix work for these? 40 parts water to one detergent? I know it works on aphids.
Ed's soap and water spray - it works great on earwigs - but you've got to hit them with it. I go out in the evening with a flashlight and spray them. They initially run around like crazy then *boom* they are dead. Very satisfying.
At the same time, I carry scissors for the slugs and cutworms that are also active at night. Perhaps my neighbour lady thinks I'm nuts but my veg thanks me.
So for our 4 vineyard vines and our tomato plants, etc. my husband uses a mixture of kaolin clay powder and water in a spray bottle and sprays it all over the plants. It's organic, non-toxic and most importantly, it works to keep the bugs away. Something to do with the clay being like glass for the bugs and it cuts them.
I've heard good things about kaolin clay (I believe the brand name is Surround), but haven't been able to find a retailer in Canada. I'm going to guess you're in the US? If you're Canadian and know where to get kaolin clay in Canada (in quantities for a home gardener, not an orchard) please share the info! Striped cucumber beetles are my garden nemesis! Thanks.
Kaolin clay is also sold as an ingredient for such homemade cosmetics as facial masks. You may be able to find it at a bulk store or health food store.
Kaolin clay is used in hand crafted soap, so google for soapmaking groups or suppliers. Maybe Brambleberry in Seatlle or Majestic Mountain Sage in Utah both are suppliers for soapmakers.
I looked up the Squash Bug online and this is what The Utah State University Extension says..Squash bug is a “true bug” with piercing-sucking mouth parts in the leaf-footed bug family. HA!..Seriously..Put that on your list of TRUE STUFF..Fellas Dad..TRUE BUGS..HAHAHA!! I find this highly amusing..maybe cause I couldn't sleep last night and had to drive for 4 hours today..
Okay, I did NOT know about corn worms. I'm growing corn for the first time this year and I'll be sure to get some BTK because I'll be pissed if my sweet corn has worms. Pissed!
Yikes! The corn worm picture freaked me out a bit! Another thing to note, those squash bugs don't just eat winter squash, they will decimate your summer squash just as fast. I lost a huge Zucchini plant last year in 2 days! The first day, 2 leaves were wilted and there were just a couple bugs, the second day the whole thing was wilted and the whole inner plant was hollow and filled with bugs. It was awful!
That sounds like Vine Leaf borer Beetles which are the bane of my garden's existence. Attack anything with a good hollow stem or vine. Melons, squashes, cucumbers, I gave up and stopped planting those for a few years hoping to figure out a good method to defend against them. There have to be more on their destructive diets.
BUGS, they're everywhere! The first time I cooked fresh corn, as a young bride, I took the corn out of the pot and there were cooked worms at 45 degree angles, sticking out of the cobs. I will never forget that sight as long as I live. I think that this wet humid weather that we're having now in southern Ontario is causing all these critters to multiply exponentially. Aphids by the zillions. The only bug that I truly respect, is the "SPIDER".
Whoa. That squash bug looks enormous! I believe this is why your zucchinis didn't work out well last year, is that right? Ew! Don't like!
Squash bug looks like the stink bug; gives off foul odor when squished---a final "yea? Smell this"
Snails aren'ts bugs, but they are pests and they love my succulents. The cheapest way to get rid of them is mixing 1 part ammonia to 4+ parts waters and spritz away. You have to repeat every week or after rain, but that really works and it doesn't harm the plants. It's icky to watch them literally disintegrate (they bubble and turn to slime), but you know they won't come back.
The only thing you forgot is a picture of yourself in a straw western hat, a holster with scissors on one side and an insecticide sprayer on the other. Top it off with your wellies and a smile when you ask the bugs "Feel lucky today - punk!"
Gross as this sounds...horn worms are GREAT bait for fishing. I use a stone to cut in half and then bait them up. They don't pull off the hook like fish worms do.
So they don't sting with the "horn"? I've always been quite careful with them not to touch it. Nowadays I give them to the chickens -- protein bar. *lol*
They can't sting with it. It is nearly soft. It is to misdirect predators on where the head of the bug is? OH look here where that big eye spot is and my antenna is eat that first! They will spit on you if you handle them too roughly and it stains and often will smell of nicotine. By now I am sure your chickens are on a three 'pillar a day habit but they sure do a fantastic job weeding and pesting (eating bugs) for a garden lot.
Be sure it is a 'hornworm (green, long for thickness, a single horn near eyespots away from the eating end of the 'pillar- oh look it up on line) - there are many stinging 'pillars out there that will leave a lasting mark on both your memory and your hide! In my youth mistook a saddleback moth caterpillar for a horn worm... Yep early in my careful not to crush the gentle - 'oly long list of colorful expletives - what have I grabbed hold of and how do I apologize so it will let go? My uncles being well boys and brothers would lead a doomed saddle back off a leaf and on to each other as pranks... eventually the 'pillar would find an ear, a hand, or the nape of the victims neck who would instinctively swat it off and force the insect the offending and local body parts. My guess it the next few minutes were followed by curses, running/chasing, and general mayhem in gratitude of such humor.
Will try that btk if I can find it....folks be careful spraying vinegar on the plants it could kill them...I use it as a weed deterrent...oh those little cabbage worms are the bane of my garden.
I'm ashamed to admit it.... bugs are one of the main deterrents to me planting a garden.