potatoes bugs

[DanR]

It's a Co-Op kind of day for me.

[wfmdfm]

For the grubs and beatles we used Milky Spores. It is more proactive than reactive but works. One application last 15 years. Very safe to use. Its been 2 years now and life is good in the yard. We have not seen any Japanese Beatles.
http://homeharvest.com/milkyspore.htm
Wally

[Rudi]

We use King Potato Dust around here to control the Colorado Potato Beetle. It works well although as Bill mentioned timing is everything. It has to be when you first notice them and before too much damage has occurred. I always use a respirator when applying it and only when there is no wind or at least very little. I also take a page from my father in law. Our tater field is not all that large so that it is beyond a nice stroll. So I use an old coffee can with a bunch of small holes in it, much like a colander, flour sifter etc....., to distribute the dust. Very effective.

I am interested in the BT product though. Very interesting.

[DanR]

I did get the generic Thuricide. I'll let you know.

[Virginia Mike]

I did get the generic Thuricide. I'll let you know.

Dan,
That's what I use. I get it from Southern States.

[DanR]

I did get the Bt yesterday and started on the tomatoes. To make things worse the June Bugs arrived yesterday by the bus load.

[DanR]

I'm sold on Bt. I just walked all the gardens and found 1 Japanese beetle and 1 grasshopper. A big thanks to Virginia Mike.

[vdeal]

As an organic grower since the late 70's I can shed a little light on some issues. BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) is a bacteria that is most effective on worms and caterpillars. It might work on Colorado potato beetles and Japanese beetles in the larvae stage but there are better organic controls for the adults (which is when most people notice them). For Japanese beetles I have found Neem oil to be very effective. However, I'm only using it on ornamentals or non-edibles. The Japanese beetles love our Kwanzan cherry trees and the Neem will knock them out in a day. They don't usually bother my veggies but I have noticed that they do like beans. I found by chance that there are certain weeds they really like and just a few of those in the garden will attract all of the beetles. For the potato beetle I use Monterey garden insect spray. This contains Spinosad. The active ingredient is derived from a naturally occurring soil dwelling bacterium called Saccharopolyspora spinosa, a rare actinomycete reportedly collected from soil in an abandoned rum distillery on a Caribbean Island in 1982 by a scientist on vacation. It has not been found in nature since that time, and was subsequently described as a new species. The bacteria produce compounds (metabolites) while in a fermentation broth. The first fermentation-derived compound was formulated in 1988. Spinosad has since been formulated into insecticides that combine the efficacy of a synthetic insecticide with the benefits of a biological pest control organism. This stuff will absolutely take care of the potato beetle. More may appear in a few weeks from emerging grubs and I just hit them again.

[Bill]

Sounds interesting, where can this product be purchased.

[DanR]

It's sold by Bonide products under the name of Captain Jacks dead bug or something like that. I get it from Co-Op. As always, use as the label says.

[challenger]

Note that the Colorado literature on BT says there are at least three formulations. Years ago, it only worked on caterpillars. Now it seems they have a variation for the japanese beetle. So, you must make sure you get the right concoction for the particular pest you want to control.

[Don McCombs]

vdeal,

Where do you get Monterey garden insect spray in your (our) area? Thanks.

[SONNY]

Dont waste your money on Captin Jacks Dead Bug Brew----it dont work!!!----I even tripled the dose and still never killed a beetle with the stuff!
I make my own concoction up and at least the bugs leave and stay gone til the next rain. thanks; sonny