What Pest is Eating my Plants? (PICS)

[The Mama Chicken]

Agreed. There is probably a variety of insects feasting on my veggies.

I have not seen any of those small little beetles.

I did find a grasshopper and small green worms. There are also small black dots clustered on many leaves. I read that it might be the caterpillar droppings..Anyone have experience with this?

I want to get rid them for good. I sprayed with a soap water mix. I read BT works, but not sure if that is completely organic and healthy. Any info will help. :/

I don't think you can get much more organic that Bt. It's a naturally occurring soil bacteria. I used it on my squash, but they were already too far gone to save. The little black specks could be bug poo or it could be bug eggs. Do they move if you blow or brush them off? If so probably poo, if they're stuck on probably eggs.

 

[myfirstgarden]

Oh no! They stick...
Off to buy BT and fish emulsion to save my plants.

 

[JimWWhite]

BT? What's BT? I don't need no stinking BT!

What is this and does it really work to control squash bugs and squash vine borers? Are they the same thing? I've lost my summer squash and zuchs again this season. I'm thinking about moving over to another box and replanting them but I doubt that will work either. If this BT stuff is organic and won't harm my bees then I'm game to try it. But what do I ask for when I go to the big box store?

 

[so lucky]

BT is Bacillis Thurengiensis and is supposed to be effective only on "worms" such as tomato horn worms, cabbage loopers and corn ear worms. It is a biological insecticide, found in the soil. One well known name is Dipel. It does really work on cabbage worms.
Squash bugs and squash vine borers are two different demons. The borers actually bore into the vine and kill off the whole thing very quickly; it just wilts like it was broken off at the base. They spend part of their life in the soil, and bore into the plant unnoticed by most gardeners. They are very difficult to eradicate.
The squash bugs eat the leaves and can kill the plant that way. Squash bugs hide in the leaf litter under the plant at night, and come out during the day. So you could maybe use an insecticide on the ground--shouldn't hurt the bees that way.
You might try putting DE (diatomaceous earth) on the ground, or on plants that are not blooming. It is a dessicant, and will dry out the insect and clog its breathing apparatus, I have been told. I use it in the chicken house and run to keep flies down and prevent mite infestations. It is finely ground diatom fossils, as natural and organic as you can get.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This Colorado State fact sheet gives good information about BT.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05556.html/

Some interesting points.

There are different strains of BT. Each strain is fairly specific about what it affects. The BT that kills cabbage worms won't affect honeybees or squash bugs.

BT works by messing up the target's digestive system. The insect essentially starves to death.

BT takes a while to work. The insect quits eating but you will still see it around for a while. You'll think the treatment was ineffective because of this.

BT has to be eaten to be effective and it generally does not stay effective very long. That can make it a little hard to put on the target insect's menu.

I knew they had developed a specific BT for mosquito larve, but I did not know they had one for certain specific beetles. Not many varieties of beetles and not squash bugs, but its a start.

Since BT only affects the target species, it is safe for use around humans and pets.

BT is not a broad-spectrum insectice that kills anything and everything. It is not a magic bullet you can spray on your garden and take care of every possible pest. If you are going to use BT, you need to read the lable to see what it affects and you have to identify what your pest is so that it will be effective about what you are targetting.

 

[so lucky]

By the way, Jim, the big box stores may not have BT. You may have to go to a garden store or farm store. Maybe Lowes or Menards. I guess those are big boxes, aren't they?