Colorado Potato Beetles...

Does anyone know what to use to get rid of these boogers? They can completely decimate a row of our plants in just a few days. I wanna go organic on this one... We pick and pick, but can't seem to stay ahead of the population! And THEN comes the Japanese Beetles-I need suggestions for this too. We've tried everything we know of, but nothing organic we've found so far seems to work. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For Colorado Potato Beetles the type of control you use depends on how many tomato, potato or eggplant plants you have and how severe the infestation is.

If mild and not too many plants, go thru and destroy all orange egg clusters on the backs of the leaves. If you can squish the adults, even better, as well as any small brown larvae, who are the ones who are doing most of the damage.

If you need a higher level of control, then you can use BT San Diego, otherwise known as Colorado Potato Beetle beater or similar. Read the label to be sure it says CPB's b/c there are many different BT preps. It's an organic prep of xstals from the bacterium Bacillus thurengiensis and when the larvae eat it their stomachs blow up. RIP.

For the adults you can use 5% Rotenone since the BT prep isn't effective against adults. Notice I said 5% Rotenone. Th enormal Rotenone sold is 2% so you have to look around.

You can also flick off the adults into a can of soapy water or better still kerosene. They tend to play dead and fall off the plants when you get near, though.

Hope that helps.

Carolyn, who will let someone else discuss Japanese Beetles, but whatever you do don't get talked into using those hormone lures. What are the Japanese Beetles eating in your veggie garden? I never had problems with them with veggies, only flowers

Hmmm, if I may tag onto this question? I have a nasty case of flea beetles gnawing their way along my eggplant leaves. (The eggplants are actually growing though - a big improvement over last year's plants that sulked until I finally pulled the plug on 'em mid-summer.)

I went to my trusty Farmer's Co-op, and a guy in overalls said to use Dipel, which is a Bt-based pest control.

But it doesn't say anything on the canister about flea beetles. I asked a couple other employees, who said "if the guy in overalls told you to use Dipel, you should use it."

Now, it's not that I'm not a trusting sort of person...but I don't know if I can afford to see if this will work - the plants could be decimated at the rate these critters are going. (And I actually have BLOOMS this year - wahhhh!)

Anyhoo, I came home and sprinkled it liberally on the plants (tops and bottoms of leaves and around the dirt.)

How fast should it begin working? So I'll know when to run back for Carbaryl or Rotenone, lolol! (Guess I'll take a pail of soapy water with me when I start my early morning stroll tomorrow, and flick off any I find.

Terry,

Flea Beetle damage is usually cosmetic.

If it bother you or becomes serious, then use a pyrethrin spray, which is o rganic and works pretty well if you keep after it.

Dipel is one of the common names, along with Thuricide, for the BT product used for cabbage loopers, hornworms and other wormlike pests.

It will not kill flea beetles.

Carolyn

Aluminum foil under the eggplant will help to keep the flea beetle population under some control. It seems they see their reflections and can't tell up from down. A good organic spray is just soapy water with some hot pepper juice added.

Colorado potato beetles and blister beetles love the foliage of the black nightshade plant. But it is suppose to be just as poisionus to them as to anything else and will be the last meal they ever eat. I let quite a bit of it grow in our yarden.

Carolyn, both beetle infestations are HEAVY most every year. Believe me, I found out the hard way about those lures-that's exactly what they do-lure the beetles to our yard where they munch everything in site! The Japanese beetles always go after our beans in the garden. We grow "Greasy Cut-Shorts", which are climbers. They also eat on the potato plants. I appreciate your reply, I'll have to look around for that concentration of Rotenone. Has anyone ever tried that milky spore stuff?

Shaz...milky spore will take several years before it has an effect. Also, since the Jap beetles come from grass/sod, unless all your neighbors use it you'll not see much affect. (You might get rid of the grubs in your yard but you'll still get the adults flying in from other folks' yards.)

Terry.. "the guy in overalls" has a problem...(lack of knowledge?)

You should go back and educate him, induct him into the "University of DG" where he can learn a few things. :>)

Thanks, Horseshoe. That's just what I wanted to know. That stuff is expensive, our yard is huge. I just couldn't see spending that kind of money if it didn't work. ;)