HELP.... something is eating my Burgs. I spray an insecticide and the feasting stops, but not for long. Is there a long term solution to this feast. Is there something that maybe could be put in the soil? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Dorothy
Burgs Being Eaten Alive
What is being eaten? Can you post a picture? That would help.
ZZsBabiez, a picture's worth a thousand words. The feast started with this Burg, lost tag don't remember name. Sprayed and it stopped for a while, then started again. Dorothy
ZZsBabiez, then the feast went to this Burg. Now mind you they are no where near each other. In fact there are Burgs in between and so far nothing has feasted on them. Any advise to stop this would be most appreciated. Dorothy
Try and watch your undersides of leaves, could be worm, or cucumber beetles, looks more like big caterpillar chewing on them. They hatch out into butterfles/moths and lay more eggs. Need a spray that covers and stays, like an oil base. Will need to be sprayed on undersides of leaves also.
Much luck.
Gloria
Dorothy, I discovered last year that not all Brugs must taste the same because some of my Brugs were eaten right down to soil level, others had big chunks of the leaves and stems removed while still others had very little damage and they were in the same area. Look for caterpillars and/or grasshoppers, and katydids. The caterpillars are easy to miss. One big fat green tomato horn worm can denude a plant almost overnight. Picking the individuals off is probably the easiest thing. If it is caterpillars, you can use Bt.
I don't' mind sharing a few leaves with em' but if they start on the stems, they're gonna have to die. Those tomatos worms turn into huge moths, hummingbird moths/sphinx moths that pollenate them in nature. (but I'm still not offering my entire brug for their meal) look at this:
AuntB, I've never seen a moth look like these, but will keep an eye out. Bettydee and Hibiscus thanks also for your advise. Will look under leaf for cats and other crawlers. Will continue with the spraying and hopefully will get a handle on this. Thanks. Dorothy
I know they have them down there, another daver told me about the pink ones he has in FL, at the time I was seeing some with yellow on them here in Ks. Then my DD caught a pink one on digital and thought it was a shadow or light reflection, then I saw one with my naked eye(I had glasses on, tehe) We've had so much fun taking pics of them.
The moths will pollinate your brugs, why rid of them? ahhh! Send them to me, I feed them Pentas. LOL
Well, the cateripillars I am dealing with look like dust on the new growth.. They are so tiny when they first hatch, you can barely see them.. then they eat mostly the new leaves and chew a hole in the buds and crawl in there to grow up, devouring the inside of the bud. I am having a terrible battle with them.. even using BT spray.
Is that water on those leaves? Could you be plagued with slugs? If you go out early in the morning, you can catch em on the trunk of the plant.. heading for their daytime hiding places!
Oh yeah AuntB!! Those dang Katydids! They are sooo sneaky! They make big holes too... Yep, welcome to the wonderful world of brugs.. it's a constant battle.
I'm sorry.. I hate those moths.. they dive bomb me and scare the begezzers outta me!
ZZsBabiez, yeap... that's water. It was showering this morning when I took the picture, before it started to pour. It rained here most of the day off and on. I'll take a look in the morning for slugs, but haven't seen any around. Thanks to everyone for the preventative measures. Dorothy
It's the caterpillar (tomato worm) that eats on the leaves, before it turns into the moth. And those cats can be 4 inches long. If I notice some big holes or half eaten leaves I usually find them where the most damage is. Gotta check for damage everyday in late spring early summer. But by now I'd think they would all be moths... Throw some broken egg shells on the ground around the plant, slugs don't like sharp edges and will find some other greenery (in your neighbors yard, hopefully) to munch on.
I've never seen those around here AuntB.. I would have to get the litter picker upper thing after them... I don't do big bugz.. LOL
Those dang little tiny cats have destroyed countless buds..
Oh to love brugs.. huh?
I do okay with bugs as long as they aren't on me. And the sphinx moths are big enough to see and dunk OR swat at. Ya gotta love the brugs. (but I give em about 3 years, if they are too finicky or wrought with bugs all the time, they're outta here.)
As much as we love those brugs. If those don't perform well despite pampering....we've got to draw a line somewhere. lol.
Anyone has sweetgums growing in your area? I put those 'Monkey balls' around my container plantings. The sharp jagged edges of the sweetgum-balls keep the slugs at bay too. (I have those sweetgum balls, so instead of fighting them, I put them to work, lol).
Kim
I had better success with spraying for caterpillars in Louisiana with NEEM than with other insecticides. Where I used to live, by the coast, it literally rained dew every morning. The NEEM stayed on better. However I wouldn't use it in full afternoon sun. I had the brugs in afternoon shade there.
I don't spray for cats...just hand pick. Right now the grasshoppers are my worst enemy as well as a few mites. Hope you get them stopped. New leaves will then make it look beautiful again.
I found little green unidentified caterpillars that make this damage on my brugs' leaves. But it's getting toward the end of the growing season; those leave may wither once being enclosed indoor with less optimal growing condition. So, these little fellas get their treats and hopefully become little butterflies in the near future. My brugs looks healthy, so sharing little leaves aren't going to hurt. :-)
I usually let them have a few to nibble on, too Kim. But if they get greedy, I have to "encourage" them to move on. I have to strip a lot of them for winter anyway.
B,
While gardening today, I found a thump's size grasshopper! Now those guys would chew our plants faster than any cats. or snails can compete. 1st one I found all year, so hopefully there isn't a bad infestation. Needless to say, the culprit is in confinement at the movement. lol.
Kim
Bonnie.. Great photo... and you captured two of them in the same frame..one in perfect focus... a great shot... you must have plenty of the moths there.. I'll see a few on and off all year... at first glimpse I thought they were a bat flying by or a night flying hummer ...MMMMMM..
There's fewer and fewer bats about every year.. although I did see about 6 bats working a swarm of some insect that was under a patio light.. and now that most flowers are passed in neighboring gardens...Lately I see the honey bees in the garden here... as flowering is still pretty strong... not to mention exotic.. Gordon
Thanks, Gordon.... Some nights they are almost swarming... The blurry one in the photo just happened by as I snapped the button on the one that is focused.. imagine my surprise when I finally went inside and reviewed my "bounty". I don't see bats around here... owls once in a while. Flowering strong & exotic???? Whatcha got bloomin'?
Kim, those large grasshoppers can perform some great feats. I've driven down the highway (at the speed limit, of course, :-) with a few still hanging on to the windshield wipers.
You aren't kidding I know, for I've been "kicked" by them in the past trying to pick them by bare hands, lol. Those proven to be some football players!!! I'm telling you. lol.