Help! What is eating my brugs?

I try to be an organic gardener but it doesn't seem to be doing the trick. What do you all use? Thanks for your expert help!! Brenda

I know a nursery that uses safer soap on their brugs. Thats all they use and they are bug free. I use safe soap mixed with neem oil and systemic acephate at the moment. Next thing you know though and I will have switched to something else.

I've been spraying with a diluted murphy's oil soap mix but hasn't stopped the chewing of the leaves. Haven't actually seen a critter but... Brenda

I use rotenone and sunspray oil in tandem.

i've been seeing a few 6 legged bugs with mainly orange backs, a little white, long antennae with a little orange on them. found one sucking on a catepillar this morning, was glad to see. i'm thinking its all those baby cats eating mine but they are driving me crazing making holes. the hummer moth cats chew up whole leaves, i prefer that. i'm thinking about a systemic but i love seeing the lizards and grandpa spiders and lady bugs on my plants, don't believe i will. i have starting mashing little cats, yuk!

I just got my order of Cygon-2E systemic. Will use it in the house for the mites. Sure hope it works. Those things are driving me nuts. They have now attacked the sang. Pretty hard to see them on it. Lost a few lower leaves, but I think I caught it in time.

Could this be a slug problem? Maybe you should check last in the afternoon and early evening to see if you have slugs or snails. I saw two slugs dining on my baby brug last night....chewing big holes in it.

It could indeed be snails or slugs. I saw their tracks this morning and killed two baby slugs. I have also seen tiny white things on the underside of the leaves. Where can you buy the slug bait that is safe for pets? Brenda

You can use ground egg shells on the surface of the soil. Even sharp sand. The slugs don't like to move across it. Another thing that might work is to put a small container of beer down about level with the soil. For some reason slugs are attracted to the beer, fall into it, and can't get back out. I use a slug bait around my hostas and my dog has never bothered it. I think that once it is watered, it kind of melts and she doesn't even know it is there.

Brugie,

Do you remember how did the Cygon-2E systemic work for Spider Mites?? The Raid works well but I keep forgetting to spray them again so the eggs hatch out.

The reason I'm asking is I found a bottle I have never opened but have had for several years and I thought I would try it on all the brugs if it won't hurt them and works well.

Judy

This is an interesting, lengthy article on Spider Mites

http://www.dahlia.org/BulletinArticles/Spider%20Mites.html

Very interesting and not surprising that chemical damage and mite damage often looks the same. I don't think I've ever had mites, I think all of my weird leaves, etc, have been caused by chemicals...thanks for the article Judy!!!

Brugmansia, how do you buy the systemic asephate? Is it a spray, or a granule?

Brugie, I used to use Cygone 2E years ago on my trees by drilling into the cmbium and using an eyedroper. I was just thinking about it the other day and was wondering how you would use it on the brugs? A soil drench?

Where do you get it? And you use it in the house? Isn't it pretty powerful for that? I remember using it on my big Maple trees and only using it every 3 years.

Jeanette

I use Sluggo. It says it is safe for pets and other critters. (except slugs) Someone told me to put coffee grounds around the plant as they don't like to crawl over it but I haven't tried it yet. (same idea as the egg shells I guess) The slugs are terrible here this year.

I use Eliminate for slugs, horrid looking but apparently works. I squirt it and don't touch it.

Sherry, salt works best. Jeanette

I agree Jeanette, and I use salt when I see them and I put out beer too, but when I can't locate them, but know they are there, I use the Eliminate, but I hate it, ugh, if I was a slug, I'd avoid it at all costs, but then they eat poison flowers, so I guess it's no surprise they eat Eliminate, whew...