To all you organic gardeners....how to kill the darn bugs???

[karanleaf]

Beekissed You have a very nice looking place..

I have been following the thread as to learn how to take care of some similiar problem Only with the potato getting most of the hit, though we have had a few little leaf hoppers but have used some soap + Mongolian fire oil mixed with water it has seemed to deter futher damage. Then today we got our order of Hot Pepper Wax spray.
So if any more critters decide to have a meal we give them a Hot shower.

Thanks for all the adivice Tutter, Oakland, Bills, Me&thegals, & Mossy too... it seems good to me..
I had noticed that the critters seemed to munch on my sunflowers first..
Now I know why... planted bait and didn't know it.. I did something right..

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

I did that once, Tutter....poof! No corn in the last bed! I can't even reach these vines, as I planted too closely. If they have already started to wither or wilt, is it too late to find the larvae? I have nasturtiums planted every 2 ft. in this garden, especially around the vines. I also have sunflowers and various other sacrificial lambs beside these vines. Does anyone have a pic of a squash beetle? Are they small, yellow, with little black dots on their backs? If so, they are swarming my calendula and sunflowers right now!


Hey, y'all! I got baby chicks and, man, are they the cutest! All healthy and sweet, from MPC. Am missing 2 though and I have to call them and get credit for them.

I want to get more chickens. I figure I can fit 4 more in the area we have and still have ample space as required.

Anyway.

This is the Squash Bug Adult:

This is the Squash Vine Borer Adult:

And this is what I think you're talking about, which is the Spotted Cucumber Beetle:

It's good that they are on your sunflowers and calendulas instead of your squash and cucumbers.

All three can cause damage to cucurbits.

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks, Karan! We have put a lot of sweat into it but its not really ours...we just rent it!

OCF, what excellent pics!!! Its the third pic (beetle) and I have already pulled all my cucumbers out of the bed and gave them to the chickens! Death to the evil yellow, spotted ones. I think I'll go out and slaughter the ones on my flowers in the morning!

My squash plants are so close together they could be hiding a Panzer tank in there and I wouldn't know! I'll try my best to look for those sneaky devils but I doubt I'll see them....

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I'm having trouble spotting all the squash in this mess, let alone the beetles!

 

[Tutter]

Yep, that guy loves sunflowers!

Nice plants! And who have we guarding it?

 

[Beekissed]

That's my big #2 son, Eli. I just put him in there for perspective, but he had to stand so far back due to how big this squash patch is, that I don't know if it helped. That boy is pretty big....10 lbs when he was born and been feeding him with a grain shovel ever since! He's a pretty big guy and so strong its scarey! I love him so muchly!

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how the garden turned out this year. I would like to get a handle on the whole beetle thing, as my squash plants got hit by them last year also. I'll have to look up this DE and try it. Now this won't hurt my pollinators, will it?

 

[karanleaf]

You might research spinosad which is clasified as an organic insecticide.

This is a bigger discussion than this but many times organically classified insecticides may not necessarily still be the best.

Spinosad can harm Trichogramma and Braconid wasps which are beneficials. Just as DE can harm pollinators and other beneficials.

Use discretion.

Beekissed- try planting some radishes, Snow Belle works well, to try to attract them away from the potatoes. Also, commercially available nematodes can help destroy the eggs and larvae in the soil.

Just thought I would bring it back up as I thought Oakland had said that DE would harm pollinators. What is DE? Is it dete? I wouldn't use it myself.. You have to give the pepper spray a chance but also watering in the am is best as it gives the plants a chance to dry no powdery meldew.
I've learned that from experence.

Good luck Oh I also remember reading on another thread of someone using a shop vac. I think I made the comment about slinging it over my shoulder.
sssshh I'm going bug hunting hehehehe.... remember Elmer Fudd ????

 

[me&thegals]

I know it's really time consuming, but I just pick bugs off by hand, all of them. We have almost 1 full acre in garden this year, so it's not like I'm talking about 1 hill of squash.

But, Beekissed, your squash look great! I bet at this point they can take the bug infestation and manage until harvest. Then, after harvest, gather up all the vines and burn them to destroy any eggs and larvae left. Last year our potatoes got hit really bad by potato beetles, but we picked bugs until the plants were pretty big, then let it go. We had a great potato harvest, burned the vines and moved the potatoes FAR away this year. Almost no beetles this year...

I think it might have been mentioned before, but I think the initial organic years might be tough because the soil may not be built up much yet. Also, crop rotation, crop rotation, crop rotation!

What a beautiful garden and healthy, strapping son you have

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks! He's a keeper! I like going out in public with all three...they tower over me and they're all so sweet! They hug their mom and stuff, which you don't see often in boys their age. I always tell folks that I throw good calves!

I will do as you suggest. I know this first year is kind of tough, but maybe by next year my soil will be able to mount its own defenses. I'm going to let the chickens till under the garden this fall, plant cover crops like buckwheat, rotate the beds and hunt for mulch sources all year!

I have been letting my grass in the bigger spaces get a little long, and only trimming around the edges, to save gas and to harvest the clippings. At first I was embarassed to let it look a little shaggy, but then I had to remind myself that I'm not on this Earth to impress anyone but God! So, shaggy it is until I track down other sources. I have an ad in the local classifieds for grass clippings with no herbicide/pesticide used on them. So far no takers.

Hey, Me&, did you see my thread on using geese for down on SS and BYC? I bet YOU would have some useful info on the subject, as well as Tutter, and be able to pass some my way!

How bout it, Tutter?

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

karanleaf- DE is diatomaceous earth it's basically crushed remains of an ancient algae. It's used in a large variety of industrial applications and pools. It's also used in the garden to control soft bodied insects by making them dry out. It's also used in chicken and other animal feed to help control worms and such.

Beekissed- yes, it will hurt your pollinators.

I highly recommend not using this in the garden.

 

[curly_kate]

What about neem oil or rotenone? I've got little buggers eating my corn! This is one of my problems.

And then I've got little fuzzy caterpillars, bigger white ones and small brown & black ones, having a smorgasbord.

Any advice would be appreciated!