Help organic bug control!?!?!

[the1honeycomb]

all my beans have holes in the leaves, sprayed with soapy water
also little caterpillars have eaten the summer squash i was planning for dinner!!
there are a million rolly polly bugs eating the roots of carrots, and potatoes
VERY SAD FACE!!!

Broke my organic rulae and sprinkled Seven granules

Please help!

 

[hoodat]

Spinosad is the strongest organic available and kills a wide range of bugs. I use it only as a last resort since it is harmful to bees and wasps.

 

[digitS']

Caterpillars eating your summer squash? That would be the one that the soapy water might kill but I'm not sure what pest that would be. Bt (Thuricide) is the caterpillar killer.

Holes in the beans? I'd say the spinosad would likely be the best for what may be a beetle doing that damage. It could be something like slugs/snails, in which case spinosad (beetle/caterpillar killer) will not help.

I bet sow bugs are difficult to kill. Pyrethrin should kill them if they are hit with the spray but pyrethrin insecticides break down quickly so pyrethrin isn't there if the pests weren't around at the moment of spraying. Monterrey makes a Sluggo bait which not only kills slugs/snails with iron phosphate but earwigs & sowbugs with spinosad. The spinosad spray may also kill the sow bugs but I'm not sure about that.

All that have been mentioned are considered "organic" pesticides.

Steve

 

[the1honeycomb]

the bugs look like beetles with orange and black.
The caterpillars look like tiny centipedes

 

[lesa]

IMHO, keeping your plants healthy is the first line of defense. Are you having a dry period? Could you water and fertilize? I notice if my plants are on their last legs, the bugs have a picnic. Very little damage to the healthy plants....The bean leaves being eaten is no big deal, unless the entire leaf is gone. I am puzzled by the squash being eaten. Could you investigate and get some pics for us? Is the orange and black a cucumber beetle? Good luck!

 

[baymule]

I used this last year when corn worms were entering the bottom of my tomatoes and eating the insides. YUCK!

For killing garden bugs and pests

Voo-Doo Juice

1 package of chewing tobacco

1 pod of garlic, crushed, not a clove, but the whole pod

1/4 cup of Tabasco

1/4 cup of dishwashing liquid

Boil 1 gallon of water, add pouch of chewing tobacco and crushed garlic. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Let steep until cool. Strain, then add Tabasco and soap. Pour into a 2 gallon sprayer and top with water. Spray on garden after 7 PM, so as not to injure bees. Besure to spray the underside of leaves too.

 

[so lucky]

Well, you know nicotine used to be available as a really potent bug killer, so I bet boiling the chewing tobacco will give you a mild form of that. Sounds like that recipe would work well. I need to keep this.

 

[majorcatfish]

neem oil

 

[the1honeycomb]

Those bugs don't stand a chance!!! my plants are very healthy, we have had even rains and sun, they are big and getting ready to produce.

Noone mentioned the fact that I put seven dust out! thanks, I use it for the chicken dust bathe to help keep the mites at bay. I really appreciate all the education you are sharing in a year or so I'll be an old hat!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I hope I dont start off a controversy with this post, but I dont go organic. My take is a little different than a lot of people on here. I consider anything that makes things dead to be dangerous, whether it is natural or man-made. Mother Nature makes some pretty nasty poisons on her own. Some organic poisons have been banned they are so nasty.

I try to use as few pesticides as I can. When I do use one, I try to identify what is causing the problem and target that specifically, not use something that will just kill indiscriminately. Thats hard. There are not many out there that discriminate, natural or man-made. And I try to use them in a way to minimize collateral damage, spraying in the evening or trying hard to keep them out of rainwater runoff for example. A lot of these things are especially dangerous to fish if they get in the water system.

One difference in natural and man-made is that the man-made are often enhanced to make them last longer. That may be an advantage or disadvantage to you. With any of them, that is something I recommend you check out. How long do you have to wait until you can eat the product?

Many of these break down pretty quickly in sunshine or air, but last a really long time if they are protected against these. Some of these things may last for weeks in the soil but be broken down in a day if they are in sunlight. One particular thing Ill mention. Corn can be a problem. If certain poisons get down into the ear under the husks they can last a really long time.

Some things are great, like BT. There are different BTs that target certain things. Find the one that targets what you are after and youre doing well. But whatever you use, I recommend you do enough research so you know what it is targeting and how to use it as safely as you can, organic or man-made.