I noticed this morning that those %()#*)%(*@)#*( earwigs are chewing holes in my brug cutting leaves. Some of them look like lace!!!! What can I do to "dissuade" them from my nice plants?? TIA
Anna
Arrgghhhhh!!!!!!! Have bugs. need help!!!!
I've got earwigs here too and have been finding them in the new leaf growth at the tip of the plants.I think I'm going to try Diatomaceous Earth sprinked around the base of the plants.Don't know for sure if it will work but I'll give it a try. It says on the bag it is for ant and crawling insects.
I spray mine with Malathion. Works fine.
I used Safers, no luck. Neem oil, no luck. I finally bought some malathion the other day too, and I'm feeling better. My worst enemy was those little green worms, they were eating mine up.
AHA.....Now I know what is eating my brug leaves....well...they are gonna be sorry now!
I'm going to fix them good!
I'll let you all know what I do....
Malathion is now on my shopping list for today. I'll let you know if it works. Yes, I noticed them creeping around in the new growth at the tips. They are even in my just-opening up voo-doo lily growth. Grrrr...........
here is one natural remedy:
1 TABLESPOON VEG OIL
1 TABLESPOON MOLASSES
1 TEASPOON DRY YEAST
1 CUP WATER
MIX
POUR 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH IN CAN PUT OUT IN GARDEN BURY TO THE RIM
I'm still looking, seems that I found a great recipe several years ago that had molasses and soy sauce, I know it sounds funny, but I am determined to find it....
also....anyone know how to get rid of ants?
we have been having a terrible problem with them, and up till now, I didnt want to massacre a whole population of them, but yesterday evening, they were on the driveway, must have been a festival or something, they were out in droves, there were patches the size of paperback books that were pure brown, about 6 of them, I thought it was dirt, but upon closer imspection I was simply mortified, scared the you know what out of me....(thoughts of them turning on us....) anyway, I am a little scared....but what can I use on them. another though that scares me is, if there are soo many that I saw, there must be at least twice as many that I didnt see.....you see where I am going with this....
And I'm sure I've recounted my woes with the ant maturation chambers that I have found under rocks and pavers. with million of eggs, that dissapear when my back is turned trying to get something to kill them.....eerie
pebble is this recipe for earwigs?
wouldn't the molasses in the earwig recipe attract the ants?
it's for earwigs Tig, and as for ants, yes, it would, but notice there is yeast in it, did you know that ants cannot expel gas, no passing of the wind in the nests.....so what happens you may ask....they explode...
Wow, pebble, neat! Explode!
As for the earwigs, my P. Flowers are growing up my white fence(about 10 different kinds), the earwigs crawl up the fence, so putting anything in the dirt will not stop them, I have been spraying the tops and leaves with Sevin(fruit tree spray), this is also for Japanese Beetles.
Exploding ants! LOL! Do you think I can explode slugs too?
Last night on my snail patrol I shined the flashlight on my pride and joy brug plant that was perfect up until 2 days ago when it started to get holes in the leaves. And there was a spotted cucumber beetle in a hole in the leaf eating it bigger. I can't believe this bug is now eating my leaves not just my flowers. I went to a nursery Sunday and the guy sold me Bayer Advanced Garden Insect control, a systemic. Supposedly it will kill all and 1 application lasts a year. I like it because it is not sprayed which always gets all over me but a soil application done once a year. I am hoping it will kill the cumcumber beetles also.
This message was edited Wednesday, Jun 26th 12:07 AM
I wish Liz....I'm afraid with slugs your best bet is laying traaps of beer, but then you have to see all the dead bodies....eeccckkkkkk, I grind up eggshells and sprinkle around plants, added benefit is the calcium goes into the soil eventually....
as for ants, another remedy that I have heard to explode them is instant grits.....mix with sugar (attracts them) same thing, they eat it and cant expel gas, so poooffff....
I am going to try this too...
I put out half a can of beer in a bowl last night.....found 21 dead slugs floating in it this morning. Hope they got drunk before they died. haha
lol, I bet they died with a smile on their slimy face
Smiling and happy!
I've also got small metallic gold beatles that has completely eaten all the leaves on my MG.It's the size of a lady bug but very shiney gold color. Anyone know what it is?
I guess I won't complain about the minor problems I'm having right now with holes in the leaves. I still don't know what is doing it, but not a big deal yet. You guys with the earwigs.......ugly bugs. I found one in the basement a couple of weeks ago. Someone told me that a piece of bamboo laid flat on the ground will become home to them over night and they can be shaken out the next morning and disposed of. I love the remedies that you all have written down. Especially the ones that can cause "Explosions". :-)
Snow, the gold beetles are tortoise beetles. I too have earwigs, cucumber beetles, the spotted and striped, and darned Japanese beetles. I have a spray that's made out of diatomaceous earth and pyrethrum and I spray in the mornings and evenings. I've still got my lady bugs, lacewing larva and assorted bees and things, but hope I'm making a dent in the other's population. I'm very careful when I spray so as not to kill the beneficials. Natural pyrethrins break down to harmless ingredients in about 20-30 minutes so no lasting effect that would kill the bees.
pyrethrin, is there a brand name, is this readily available?
tiG, Pyrethrum is made from a chrysanthemum I believe. It is not a brand name but the active ingredient. I also think the Safer products have this in it. Just read labels. It is very safe, I understand. I was at Lowes today and was going to pick up diatomaceous earth after hearing about it here. However the label scared me as it is a powder and it said do not inhale. I was worried about a week from now when I am digging where it is and it is dried and I inhale it without knowing it. It also said harmful to pets and I have so many. I love soil systemics even if they are the heavy guns because I seem to not contaminate myself so easily with everything else.
Kell, did the DE have insecticide added to it? I have both kinds, just DE and the one with added. I prefer to use the plain stuff. I do be careful with it and Cala told us that you can mix it with water and spray the ground or pour it. I even mixed it once and sprayed the plants. They don't look pretty because of the powdery look, but it sure took care of bugs and especially the fungus knats.
I do not know Shirley, but I think I will go back and reread the bag. I rarely use any insecticides but have now used about $100 worth of that systemic you only use once a year in the last 2 days. It is probably so potent it will kill me faster than it kills the bugs!!! It does not even stink, so I am already lulled into thinking it is benign. After living with scale for at least 5 years and scraping them off by hand, I am finally giving in to my killer instinct and want them out of my little slice of heaven! OOPS..........am I allowed to mention heaven still???........LOL
Kell, there is a systemic that kills most bugs, but not your beneficials and not hummingbirds but won't affect spidermites though. It;s called Merit, Marrathon or one other name can't remember, and active ingredient is imidicloprid. It's a bit safer for you than some of the others.
can't get that anywhere down here, I tried. Home Depot says it carries it in some states, just not here. :(
Cala, I did just did some sleuthing and as luck would have it Merit and Bayer tree and shrub has the same stuff in it.........so you have made me feel better!
tiG, if you want some I would be happy to get it for you. It is expensive though, 32 oz for about $19 at Lowes. You use 1 oz for each 1 inch of circumference of your tree at chest height or 3 oz for each foot of height on a bush. It is so easy to use, no muss, no fuss. here is a great article I just found on it:
http://www.roxburyfarmgarden.com/103article.html
though I do not think it will help you with green worms esp if they are caterpillars and I do not think it works on mites but I may be wrong. Let me know.
I haven't looked Jeanne -
kell, let me do some scouting around here when I get back from the roundup (if I still have any leaves left then)