Insecticide Choices...

Linda,

That is EXACTLY why I don't wear skirts or dresses.... easy avenue for bug attack! Plus I don't really have the legs for skirts. : )

David

Calalily.......what do you use for spider mites?.......I have a problem with them. Cuk beetles are my biggest problem. I use liquid seven...it works for me.....I saw my first cuk beetle on one of my mater plants....squashed him...i hope he was a scout cuk beetle....he will not be able to tell his buddies.....I planted my cuks late, so they are not here in mass...

jomocon, I have those same black, fuzzy, stinging cats. A group of them were tearing my Buttercup rose--among others--to shreds! I been using Bt like mad to no avail. I have sevin for the chicken coop, thank you so much for the suggestion. I had no idea what those things were! I'm heading out tonight after work, this is war!

terri, I have these things all over the place, eating everything in sight - veggies, annuals, perennials - my poor gingers have been devastated. And what's even worse, the chickens won't touch them!

Smart chickens!

We have snow, but no fire ants or black cats as you call them. I'll take the snow!

Went on the shopping spree Wednesday and got most of the products I mentioned above and a few other things. Lowe's has the Spectracide Triazicide Granules for the lawn on sale and got 2 bags for less than what I'd pay for one bad of another product. The last few evenings we've seen a bunch of the asps around our patio and across the driveway, so I better get that bug stuff on the yard and in the garden...

Are any others having the problem with caterpillars?? They are looking real nasty...

I have never seen an asp, that I know of. Could it be because I have chickens, pea fowl, and guineas. Where are they usually found? I havent seen a whole lot of bugs but I see the toads come out of their house every evening.

Lisa,
Tell me about your toad house, please. I need frogs in my yard again.

Its a hole in the concrete. lol For some drainage/overflow thing, by the AC unit for the house. I didn't make it for them they choose it. They have been there for years, probably since the year after we built the house. I dont even know where they lay their eggs. All I know is from dusk till dawn toads, of all sizes, are coming and going. Its next to the side door and the side garden. I just went out there and there were toads in the side garden.

We have only had frogs a few times when it has been really wet, they were hanging on the windows. I dont know how to get frogs/toads to your house, mine just showed up.

Frogs and toads are always showing up in a garbage can I keep all my garden pots in. This is a red toad breeding area,we have bunches ,even got to see a female over 20 years old once,big as a human foot and red as could be,What a sight anymore!!

Use Diamatacious Earth , pepper juice, garlic spray, And have been experimenting with stinging nettle, things like that.

Lisa>> If I'm outside early this evening and can get a picture of the caterpillar I'll do that and post it up on the bug forum to make sure we're getting the correct identification of this critter. Apparently they're pretty nasty...

I've used Triazicide from a hose sprayer on sweet corn for years. Two applications per season. Never had any corn borers since.

I just checked the label for Triazicide. You are to wait 21 days from the time you apply it until you harvest the corn.
Do you do this ?

Spinosad (Conserve) is stronger than Bt for killing caterpillars, it also works for cucumber beetles. For spidermites I use neem oil, sulphur or a product called organicide. I don't use them together, sulphur should never be used after an oil spray. I don't have a huge problem with mites, mostly beetles, caterpillars and aphids.
If you don't care if the product is organic, permethrin works well on everything except thrips.

There's a great article on the website today. This is sort of the approach I've been using all along, without even knowing it!

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1052/

This message was edited Apr 27, 2012 9:04 AM

Calalily, have you found that Organocide makes a oily mess in your sprayer? My sprayer tube got all glogged up and I can't get it clean.

I didn't know Robins would eat squash bugs! They patrol our garden daily for earthworms.

Bee,
I'm gonna have to put a birdbath in my yard soon. I have a tremendous amount of Turtle Doves? Blue Jays, Cardinals, GRACKLES!!!, and Woodpeckers, and I wanna keep them coming and happy!

The only thing I've tried is Japaneese Beetles in the bird feeder. Worked allright after losing an ornamental red maple . The invasive sparrows liked eating them , not bad if your not using anything toxic. I enjoy my birds wherever there from and always have. Suppose those could learn to eat squash bugs?

When I use Organocide I add a little coloidial plant wash (a soap) to the mix. I haven't had any trouple with clogged sprayers, but we use a 4 gallon backpack sprayer and a pull behind tank sprayer (150 gallons).

Gymgirl - you don't need anything fancy for a bird bath. Just a shallow (two inch) tray filled with clean water. Anything too deep and the birds drown. Put it so you can watch the action from your favorite chair - I love watching them take a bath.

Don't have any shrubbery around the bath, the birds like to see if anything harmful is coming before they jump in.

So far I have found a variegated cutworm,a snail, and the biggest scorpion I have ever seen and all 3 were in the house. The scorpion actually came at me, I have never seen that before, and I'll be fine if I never see it again. Lol

The first 2 I found on pepper and tomato seedlings that have never been outside! I was wondering where the leaves were going.

One day when I was busy climbing a tree, in my youth (I get it honest, you see, the "Tree Hugger" moniker), I reached up and a big, fat, green caterpillar BIT MY HAND. I still remember that throbbing feeling being ina swollen limb for about three days.

On another note, does anyone know about Neem oil? I have recently discovered it, and all of a sudden see its many praises everywhere...LOL! Well, my heritage rose, that was dying from black spot, is well holding its own! NO dropped leaves for about three days since I sprayed it. Now I see that regular rose care includes spraying with this stuff (interesting odor) every two weeks! Live and learn.

I use Neem oil and neem cake. Don't spray in the heat of the day. It is great for powdery mildew. Love to smell it, some of our workers hate it.

It is a shame we can't find ways to use sugar to poison insects in our gardens since we all know by now that sugar is a toxin or poison to all humans and other animals.

Unfortunately we would probably have insects running around us smiling with teeth like Queen Elizabeth I (she had very bad teeth in her adulthood due to her addiction to a new product from the new world, sugar).

What're we using for the flea beetles that leave shotgun holes in the leaves?

YEAH and I've got flea beetles everywhere, the only plant that seems immune so far is the milkweed vines.Hmmm, A lesson there maybe

How about salt? anything that kills insects and plants when directly applied would have to make one wonder.

Sevin dust or spray works great, but it's not organic. I only had to use it 2-3 times a season. They are no longer a problem here, since I never let them complete their lifecycle. I haven't sprayed any insecticide in about 5 yrs. I only use Neem oil for Spider mites and as needed for anyother minor insect invasion. I learned a huge lesson about not letting any pest complete their life cycle.

I didn't know insects had teeth (grin)

In my world they do! Oh and those ruffly Elizabethan collars. Doesn't make one feel half so bad about using the Sevin Dust knowing about their unfortunate fashion and dietary choises =))!

Oh Terri! I laughed so hard at your description of those teeth...! I wonder if the Queen was diabetic. hhhmmm...
On another note - I have you ALL beat! HA! I bought some "Eight" about a month ago, but that was before I discovered Neem Oil.
Anyone have some of this stuff? The Eight, that is. Jeese, wonder when NINE will come out...LOL!