Questions on Diatomaceous earth

[lesa]

Yes, that is often cited- but I have yet to see anyone have success with it. I have done "surgery" and removed the borer- and sometimes able to reroot stems.

 

[nachoqtpie]

I tried surgery... it didn't work... LOL

 

[thistlebloom]

So you shouldn't put it on the leaves? I figured that we wouldn't put it on the flowers, but, not the leaves either?

Since it's the bees that are of concern here, and I don't recall noticing bees or other pollinators crawling around on leaves ( somebody please correct me if I'm mistaken ), I think if you apply it on the leaves the bees would be safe from contact. I recommend using one of those dusters that has a canister that you put the material in and a pump type tube with a handle that puffs it out. Mine is pretty old, but I'm sure they must still make them.

You don't need tons of it on the leaves, less is more in that application.
I would put it thicker on the ground around the base of the plants, so any crawlers would get it on them.

I use it around my house foundation for carpenter ants and I make a skinny but relatively deep trail of it.

 

[nachoqtpie]

Okay... I can try that first. It's those stinkin bean leaf beetles that I'm worried about with putting it on the leaves!

 

[vfem]

Keep it on the soil.

DO NOT apply to blooms where the bees hang out.

Apply in the evening when any possible drift will not contact a bee flying by.

Always always always make sure you're using food grade.

Totally agree! I mainly use this on my coops for the chickens for mite control, but also use in my strawberry beds when the weather is dry for slug and snail control. Long as I spread on the ground it works great and have had no issues with bees being destroyed... to the best of my knowledge.

Keeping away from blooms is the very best advice.

 

[Smiles Jr.]

I received an email from our beekeeping association late last night about the DE use on garden plants. Our club leader talked to three other of the old timers and they pretty much agreed with what has been said here. They said they do not know of any bee colony kills from the use of DE but there seems to be a general agreement among beekeepers around the country that the DE should never be applied to the flowers on the plants. The soil, stalks and leaves are OK to apply the DE. But they all agreed that careful observation of the bee activity should be conducted daily when the DE is being used. If the bees are seen climbing on the leaves or stalks we should immediately rinse the plants with water as this will remove the DE quickly.

 

[nachoqtpie]

Okay... I'll give it a try. The worst that can happen is I'll need to rinse it off and concentrate more on putting it on the ground.

Any other ideas on how to get the bean beetles off? LOL
We tried hand picking last year and I think we could have stayed there all day and picked beetles and still not have gotten them all!

 

[katej]

Hello everyone,

I came across this conversation online and thought I might offer some tips as well.

I do a considerable amount of research on diatomaceous earth, specifically Red Lake Diatomaceous Earth, and although extensive scientific testing has not been done to prove its effectiveness (as most DE products are only registered as anti-caking agents and pelleting aids for use in animal feed), many people find that DE works well to kill most crawling insects. However, it can also potentially harm any insect that it comes in contact with. Therefore, as mentioned above, I would also suggest that you do not put DE on any surfaces that the bees may come in contact with.

A common application method among people who use Red Lake Earth for pest control is to mix the DE with water and spray in on to the plants (being careful not to get it on any area that beneficial insects might come in contact with). The DE is not effective while it is wet and should be left to dry.

If you decide to use DE as pest control, be sure to re-apply the product if the area becomes wet, as the DE will wash away very easily.

Good Luck! And Happy Gardening!

 

[Emma]

Thanks very much for posting about the risk to bees.

 

[catjac1975]

On the subject of your pumpkins- I did many hours of research on the vine borers. They are the most frustrating garden pest! One day your pumpkins are beautiful- the next day, they are dead! The one idea I found that made sense was this... every couple of days wash the stems of the pumpkin plants with insecticidal soap. Put it on a cloth and rub the stems. I hate to give up growing pumpkins, so I will try this. They also say the borer is under the dirt, about an inch in a white cocoon. Call me crazy, but I will be combing through the pumpkin planting area, very carefully! I know this seems kind of labor intensive, but I spend some time every night in the patch looking for squash bugs anyway- so I will just take an extra minute and wash the stems.

Successive planting helps in the war on vine borer. The timing of your planting effects whether the borer attacks your plants. I do 3 different plantings of squash and other curcurbits. I plant out seedlings and at the same time as seeds so I have different harvest times. I also make a later seed planting just before July 1st in my zone 6. Also helpful is mounding dirt along your vines every few feet. These areas will root so that if you do get a borer it may not kill the whole plant. BT in the hole of the borer will kill it if it's not too late. The idea of organic gardening, compost and the like is that healthy plants will not attract insects. Along this same idea, beware of earlier pests such as the cucumber beetle which will weaken the plant and spread disease. Rotenone works well on the c.b. It was always considered organic though I think there is controversy over this. I still use it. As my soil improves yearly I rarely need insecticides-or it's just good luck.
Also I find with pumpkins especially, that one year you will have many and the next only a few. So conditions in any given year determine the outcome of your crop. I always plant different varieties of the same crop as seasons effect the outcome of the different varieties. I save seed year to year so the cost does not get too exorbitant.