Organic Insect Control Pt. 3: Cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles, Squash bugs, Squash vine borers
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- Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024
- Garden writer and educator Susan Mulvihill discusses how to organically control some of the most challenging insects in the vegetable garden. You'll learn all sorts of tips for keeping ahead of cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles, squash bugs, and squash vine borers. You'll also find links lower in this description for information on varieties of disease-resistant cucurbit family crops (cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, summer squash and winter squash) as well as additional information from research-based sources on why Japanese beetles traps aren't a viable alternative for controlling them.
Susan gardens in Spokane, Wash. While most of this region is in hardiness zone 6, her garden is in a microclimate, making it zone 5b. She is an #epicgardeningambassador for @epicgardening. To receive a 5% discount off all items in the Epic Gardening shop, just go to shop.epicgarde... and use Susan's special code of SUSAN5.
You can order signed copies of Susan's newest book, The Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook, by sending her an email at Susan@SusansintheGarden.com. Her other book is The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook, which is all about insects and how to deal with the damaging ones organically.
Here are her affiliate links to the books on Amazon:
1. Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook: amzn.to/3uIMA0A.
2. Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook: amzn.to/3Jh6aXS.
Susan has much more than this RUclips channel! Follow her on:
Blog: susansinthegar...
Facebook: / susansinthegarden
Instagram: / susansinthegarden
Email: Susan@SusansintheGarden.com
Here are links to disease-resistant cucurbit family crop varieties that Susan referred to in the video:
www.reimerseed...
www.johnnyseed...
extensionpubs....
www.reimerseed...
Here are the promised links regarding not using Japanese beetle traps:
extension.umn....
lancaster.unl....
hortnews.exten...
extension.umn....
Susan, I so greatly appreciate and value the depths of wisdom you share! In addition, your sweet personality reminds me very much of a woman who was the mother of a friend as I grew up; she loved gardening as well, and looked and spoke similarly to you! Many reasons I'll continue to rely on the knowledge you pass on! Blessings always.
Thanks so much for your kind words!
Thank you Susan!
I think "all of the above pests" found me.
Japanese beetles are attacking my grape leaves, raspberries, cherries and plum trees.
Oh my! That’s so frustrating. I hope the video gave you some helpful strategies.
Yes it's true, those Japanese beetles traps call every bug from a long distance. I used a bunch of them to catch the beetles. Hoping to help my garden and roses. But no, I ended up with a devastated garden and totally stripped rose bushes. My next door neighbor, up the road; said he only had a few beetles and his garden. I had millions.
Oh my! I'm really sorry you've been dealing with them but I appreciate your sharing this to confirm what I learned from all of the research I did.
gardner snakes are miracle workers.
It was years before I saw a squash bug on my pumpkins or cucumbers. Then I realized they resemble stink bugs don't they? Once I received a milkweed infested with aphids and tossed it into the firepit. The next year, I transplanted healthy milkweed volunteers from the pit, plants and garden aphid free! Thanks Susan!
Wow, that's one way to do it! Stink bugs are "slightly" similar to squash bugs. They can be green or brown and have shield-shaped bodies. They are also hard to control. We get them on our tomatoes and berries. I've found hand-picking is the best way to control them.
Hi Susan! Great information, as always! I have all of these pests! Your book has been so helpful! You are correct, suggesting not to use the Japanese Beetle traps. I learned from experience. The best way to control Japanese Beetle's is to knock them into soapy water early in the morning or evening. They are less active during this time, and it is easy to catch them. For vine bore, I combined two of your suggestions. I carefully remove the larvae from the stem and inject Bacilius thuringiensis in the stem with a syringe. I then cover the stem with soil. The stem will root in the ground. If the vine bore attacks the vine, I will remove the vine from the plant. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!
That is so great to know that you are winning the battles! Nice to hear the beetles are less active during those times, and to hear about the Bt injections. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Japanese Beetles love stone fruits. I remember when I lived in PA and had three peach trees. The peaches were under ripe but close to picking. The next day when I wanted to try a peach, I found my peaches surrounded 100% by Japanese Beetles! The beetles ate all the way to the pits. :(
Oh, that is just maddening! I'm sure sorry you have to deal with them.
Thanks it's a pleasure listening to you and get a lot of good info, it's a win win for me
Thank you, Mike.
Thanks a lot, hon! Even though you don't have these nasty critters, you did a great job of sharing. I have all of them in my garden, here in NW Arkansas. I remember how it was in Ashland WI without them, but here we can garden much longer. God bless ❤
Thanks for your compliment and for understanding!
Wow! You saved the best for the last segment! Thanks as always for sharing! Your books are excellent!!
Hi, Becky. Thanks so much! I'm glad you are enjoying my books.
Thanks a lot, This is very helpful Susan. I'm growing cucumber in my small garden this season.
Thank you. I'm so glad it was helpful.
Great refresher course 💖. Have a great day 👵🏻👩🌾❣️
I'm glad it was helpful, Dee.
Great video. You are very lucky that you don’t get any of these nasty little critters, I’d be happy to send you some of mine 😊
No, thank you! I feel very fortunate so far...
Thank you Susan! I will begin to implement some of these ideas right away. I think I will have a better harvest because of the effort. I also grow roses and the Japanese beetle ruined my roses last year. I was merely flicking them off and they would simply fly back on! This year I will try the bucket of soapy water. I really want roses so I will have to toughen up I guess.
I'm so sorry you're having to deal with those dreadful beetles. I'm glad my video was helpful. The funny thing about the bucket of soapy water is that you'll find it addicting! Being able to make a dent in the population is definitely worth it.
I had Japanese beetles eating all my grape vine leaves. So a couple years ago I started picking them off and throwing them in the trash. Not leaving them in my yard. I still had some last year but not the hundreds that I had before. Thanks for all your great information. Love your bug book, just rereading it now. @@SusansInTheGarden
@@janesgarden7481 That is good to know and I'm so glad you like my Pest Handbook! Have a great garden season.
Susan, thank you for all the pest control information. The photos of the different stages these pests go through will help to identify them. Last year, for the first time ever, I had white flies on my Little Devil Ninebarks. I had not seen them before, so I googled tiny white flies on shrubs, and sure enough they were called white flies. 🤣😂
Oh my. It seems like some ninebarks tend to be susceptible to aphids so perhaps whiteflies, too. I'm glad you found these videos helpful.
Thank you for such great info! I am in the PNW and can feel the slugs waking up. lol!
Thanks so much for this pest information. Your vegies always look so healthy and plentiful. We have many of the same pests and diseases here in Qld, Australia, and it has been particularly hard this summer. Do you know of anything that would kill large grass hoppers and locusts, or a natural spray that would kill or repel them when they eat or attempt to eat, plants?
Hello! There is a protozoan called Nosema locustae that you can introduce while the grasshoppers are in the first and second instars (life stages). Here in the States, it is sold under the brand names are Nolo Bait and Semaspore. In addition, if you disturb the top 2 inches of soil at the end of your growing season, that makes the egg pods accessible to predators and the weather. Grasshoppers are so challenging and your best bet is to try to control them while they're very young, when they're more easily affected.
So helpful! Thank you ❤
Glad it was helpful!
Do you have suggestions for getting rid of the red lily beetle? As of now all we can do is hand pick them.
I have heard they are absolutely awful. They're in Western Washington but not here on the East side where we live, so I haven't personally had any experience with them. However, I found an article for you that includes non-chemical control of them: extension.umaine.edu/publications/2450e/. I've also read that Neem oil is effective in controlling them. But the problem is Neem is toxic to pollinators so it shouldn't be used around flowers. That is a dilemma!
Glad to hear about the nematodes for cucumber beetles. We were overwhelmed last year. Do you know the specific variety? I’m going all in with them this year. Watering them into all my houseplants and seed trays today-those fungus gnats! 😤
They are an intriguing option. We used them in our orchard last year because June beetle grubs were chewing on the roots of our fruit trees.
There's a fungus that eats those larvea from the fungus knats and mosquitoes too. You can get it in a product called mosquito bits.
@@1ntwndrboy198 That is correct, although it's technically a beneficial bacteria but thanks for suggesting it. I've used it, too, but was focusing on the cucumber beetles!
@@1ntwndrboy198 do you mean the bacillus thuringiensis israelensis bacteria? I’ve been watering with that stuff for years and it’s just not keeping things under control for me.
Thank you
Hope it was helpful, Wanda!
Thanks Susan! Last year we had just a few tomato, cucmber, and summer squash plants. Toward the end ofvyhe season squash bugs were the worst! I'm planning to use that area for onions this year. Do you think that will be a problem?
I'm in 7b NC
I don't think that will be a problem since squash bugs won't bother them.
I had cucumber beetles on me crimson basil. I believe from my cow manor given to me🙃
I’m in Yakima and o can not get rid of the squash bugs . I hand pick and squish the eggs etc nothing works also the infamous cabbage caterpillars I hate those things I’m chasing them every day
Hi, Denise. We don't have squash bugs in our garden but I know how challenging they are. If you are getting cabbage worms on your Brassicas (i.e., broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, etc.), the easiest way to keep them away from those crops is to use either floating row cover or agricultural insect netting. These exclude the adult butterflies and moths so they can't lay eggs. None of the cabbage family crops needs to be pollinated so that makes it a great solution. And then you won't have to chase them away!
And what do you do about symphylans
I haven't personally had experience with them but understand they can be very damaging to a wide variety of plants. After doing some research, most of which seemed to involve the use of chemical insecticides (which I would avoid at all costs), there were 2 cultural controls that came up repeatedly: reducing the amount of organic materials within your soil, esp. tilling compost into your soil or the use of mulches on the soil surface, and 2) sprinkling diatomaceous earth on/in the soil. Here are links to a couple sources I found for you:
extension.usu.edu/pests/ipm/notes_ag/veg-garden-symphylans
www.highgroundorganics.com/the-journal/potatoes-to-the-rescue/
If I find anything else useful, I'll let you know.
Thanks! I wish they'd come up with a workable treatment for gardens@@SusansInTheGarden
Wasps keep gutting out my apples!
Adam & Eve got us much more than friars I'd say!
gardner snakes, gardner snakes, gardner snakes. Everyone should have gardner snakes in their gardens, flowers and yards. They are the best and eat slugs, beetle larvae and the rest. they will get in the ground and get them and you will be so happy to have gardner snakes. please, take care of them.
Hi, Denise. I agree that garter snakes are very beneficial. We live in a rural area and we do have gopher snakes here, but I haven't seen garter snakes for a few years. Not sure why because we have a lot of natural cover for them and we don't use a rototiller.
you forgot surround Kaolin clay spray as a deterrent.
Yes, that was actually intentional on my part, but it's definitely an option. I have found that most gardeners don't like spraying Kaolin clay on their edible crops, even though it's a deterrent and washes off. I didn't include every single option because I was trying to focus on the best practices that might help someone who's struggling with these awful bugs.
The Japanese beetles always attack my grape plants that's what they seem to go after the most in my yard
They are so awful!
Cucumber beetles attract my crimson basil.
I don't quite understand your comment. Are you saying that the beetles are attracted to your basil? That could help confuse them and keep them away from your cucumber plants, etc.
Maybe set the traps down the road?
Well, hopefully not over at your neighbor's!
If you use a Japanese beetle trap move it as far away from your garden plance to attract The Beatles to your trap but not your gardens. If you live out someplace where you can put traps out and draw them in and repeatedly empty those tramps do so. But she is correct you will draw more Japanese beetles to your garden area. But if you move the traps totally away from your yard garden you can trap them and reduce the amount around your area. If you live in a neighborhood everyone needs to get together and put these things out to bring a man trap Em you may not have a good garden that year your plants may look really c***** but you will redthe amount of beatles in the coming year.
I'm hearing mixed comments regarding traps vs. no traps. One person has agreed that the traps definitely bring in more beetles to an area, making matters worse. Be sure to check out the links to research on this in the description for this video.
@@SusansInTheGarden we have try both way around our gardens and in the fathers corner. The far corner brought in boat loads of beetles. It dose help reduce the bug load that can't reproduce. Now take note we are rual farm land and have the space.
Uggghhhh!!! Stink bugs! I really do not like these bugs...if you squash them they send out that smell.
My cat played with one and squrted her eye. It was bad.
Yikes!
I think the japanese lady beetles stink worse. Plus they mark my walls and small enough to craw into places. Plus they bite
I feed them to my carnivorous plants 😊
Best practice a bucket of soapy water. Every day for at least 2 weeks. I have done thus for a few years and ever year gets less and less