There are two different bugs that have made themselves at home. The first is an orange beetl
e with black spots that likes to fly away quickly when he/she senses me coming in for the big SMUSH! (Sorry, I know that's gross, but I refuse to put any pesticides on veggies I grow. I get enough of those chemicals from the not-organically grown food I have to purchase in the stores.)I believe the second bug is a common squash bug. It's slender and black, and I
think I've seen them on squash plants before, but this year, they've taken on the tomatoes!!!!! (Note the damage done on this plant alone in less than 24 hours.)I've spent a goodly amount of time this afternoon pouring over articles on the internet about organic eradication of these and other pests. Sadly, I believe an attempt at wiping them out could be a losing battle without some sort of assistance.
If any of my three or four blog readers has advice, please post a comment. Until then, I'm off to pick beetles rather than beans! *&^%#@!!!
5 comments:
Sorry to hear you're having insect problems. If the second bug is the common squash bug, the good news is that they only produce one generation per year. The bad news, as you know, is that they can tear up a veg garden in no time flat.
I understand that you don't want to use pesticides. There is a transluscent polypropylene fabric on the market that allows about 95% of the sunlight in with no heat buildup--you can cut it to size with scissors.
The first bug looks like a relative of the tranverse ladybug, but it seems more interested in eating your plant than eating aphids, so I really don't know what it is.
Thanks for your comment. I really appreciate your interest..This afternoon, I just hosed the devil out of them because I was ticked! I hope they get the message and just decide to move on...
Polypropylene DOES work, but it makes your garden look like a collection of cocoons, which kind of spoils it for me. My grandma used to just mix up some soapy water in a spray bottle, which seemed to work just fine. Of course, nowadays you have to make sure you're using a pure soap that doesn't have other chemicals, additives, etc.
I do the same as anonymous's gramma - a little soap and water. I had the orangeish beetles, but they bugged off after that. I used Ivory if that helps...
I've always heard that a good way to get rid of bugs is to find something that will attract them more than your garden and place it near the garden. But that sounds like it might invite more bugs from farther away. The former 4H-er in me is saying to follow anonymous and Mary Ann and use soapy water. Good luck!
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