help my hostas

there are these black beetle type bugs eating my hostas up, they look kind of like lightening bugs.
Any help???

Chris, not sure but I am in zone 5 and can't seem to get my hosta's going at all. I had a friend who gave me some (not sure what it's called, but has ivory edges). I planted 4 clumps and something cut it off at ground level. The following spring, as soon as it started peeking through, again it was cut off. I bought a collection of three varieties and put them in another place last year. If they don't grow, I'm giving up. If you find out what is eating yours, let me know. Good luck.

Maryan

mpollard, sounds like you probably have slugs getting yours. They'll come out at nite to feed. You can surround them with crushed eggshells or DE, or go out at nite with a flashlite and handpick 'em.

Chris, hope you found out what was getting yours.

horseshoe, what is DE?

Or possibly deer!

DE is diatemeous earth. Its made of crushed sea shells I beleieve. It has an abrasive quality and the slugs won't crawl across it.

Paul

or if they do crawl over that DE they get cut all up and die? he he he sounds like good stuff.

I've also heard that you can use pennies all around the plants to keep the slugs away. Something in the copper gives them a shock when they crawl across them killing them of course! I am thinking of trying it this year, I don't really have that many hosta but if I raid the kids pennybank, it wont be too bad on the pocketbook!

Hehehe...I can hear debiz's wicked lafff!....:>)
Pretty close description, Paul. Not necessarily sea shells but rather the skeletal remains of a class of algea, which form "diatomite"...silica. What is really cool about it tho is that even tho it cuts into slugs and assorted other bugs, earthworms are not affected by it and can actually digest it. Amazing, eh?

Mollybee, I've heard of the copper barriers. The even have some "slug strips" on the market now which are just pieces of copper. Apparently it tends to repell them, not kill them. I'd give your pennies a try and let us know how it works. (Hey! Why not go outside and capture a slug, a nice big juicy one, and put it in a fence made of pennies, and see if it can get out? Great experiment!) (Oh yeh, and report back here.) ô¿ô

Ahhh yes would be a good experiment, but I'll need to wait til the boys get home from school! They love picking yucky bugs and slugs!! It's worth a try though, I'll see what we can do here shortly, and let ya know soon!!

you wouldn't catch me picking up one of those slimy disgusting things! uch! thank goodness for little boys. my brother used to love to torcher my mother by putting half an earthworm in his mouth, calling her out and then taking it out like he just bit into it. ieeeyuckiiiiiieees. gross me out. it worked everytime.

I sent my boys on a slug hunt yesterday and wouldn't cha know it, they couldn't find a single one!! Guess it isn't exactly warm enough for them yet!
But as soon as we find one I plan on doing this little experiment and I'll let ya'll know how it works K?

I had an entire garden bed razed by slugs, so I know how frustrating it can be. What was recommended to me then, and I will swear by to this day, is Escar-Go! from Gardens Alive. It's about $15 for a 2 or 3 lb. box, but that lasts me for a couple of years. And you don't have to worry about pets or children around it--it's not a toxic chemical. I think it's a copper phosphate pellet. FYI--cockroaches seem to be attracted to the box of pellets. Don't know if it's just the dark place to hide or what. Hand picking works great. I have also received great pleasure from salting the little slimy beasts--can't stand to squish them or touch them, which that solves. Love to watch them squirm after they have eaten my plants to oblivion.

butterflygarden you my type of person he he he death to slugs