pictures of pill bugs eating live plants! evil pest!
preppystud
14 years ago
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stephanieftx
14 years agoKaren Pease
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Evil things eating my garden!
Comments (7)The bottom line in responsible pest control (organic or not) is you need to know what you're dealing with in order to develop a strategy to control it. Unfortunately there is no broad-spectrum yet not-toxic, registered-organic, prophylactic spray that can solve your problem. I would strongly encourage you to look over your plants *extensively* for clues as to the culprits. That would include going out at night with a flash light and spending some time observing. Lots of pests are more active at night - slug, snails, earwigs to name a few. If you read some information about what pests are prevalent in your area (the USDA extension website for your state is often a good starting point, but there's a plethora of info online and at the local library) that will give you an idea of things to watch for. If you can't supply photos of the suspected pest, please at least post photographs of the damage - diagnosing your pest problem from a written description of the damage is a big ask, and photos can give additional info like what stage of growth your plants are at - are your tomatoes 6 inches tall or 3 feet tall, for example. Even posting pictures of anything you find that seems unusual to you might help - there have been posts with pics of caterpillar faeces asking "what's this?" that have led to an ID of the culprit and a control strategy. Think of it as an unfolding detective story rather than a chore. Good luck!...See Morepill bugs are officially evil, sluggo plus is good!
Comments (6)No, it isn't us who doesn't understand. That is the problem. You need to review and follow the forum guidelines that you agreed to abide by when you signed up or you are going to find yourself blocked out. 20 people have told you it needs to be removed and wood mulch is very easy to remove. All it takes is a rake or a small cultivator or even your hands and a pair of gloves. That same 20 people have told you for weeks to buy Sluggo Plus. Now you post again like that is some new big info you never heard before. Pill bugs are not "evil" as has been pointed out to you numerous times. They are normal, natural, and usually a beneficial part of gardening. They may be abnormally busy in your case because of very poor garden hygiene and your refusal to clean it up. So please stop littering the message board with your same silly posts over and over. Every time you post another one of these same questions over and over in a new post all you do is bump other folks valid questions off the forum. Sluggo - if stored properly - keeps for years. Buy and use it or please move on. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: GW Terms of Service...See MoreBugs from compost eating all my baby plants?
Comments (15)I'm not sure where to begin here........:-) 1) Foliar 'feeding' is extremely inefficient. Plants absorb the bulk of their nutrients via their roots. I doubt molasses sprayed on foliage provides any significant nutrient benefit as any natural/organic product has to be digested/assimilated by soil organisms before it becomes converted to a plant accessible form (a soluble salt, just as any other synthetic fertilizer presents). 2) Molasses can be a microorganism stimulant but not much in the way of a fertilizer. 3) Epsom salts is only of benefit if you have a magnesium deficiency, otherwise it does nothing for plants - it doesn't control pests; it doesn't control diseases; it doesn't make your plants any healthier or grow bigger and better. 4) We already addressed foliar feeding so spraying milk on your plants is not particularly helpful.........unless you have certain fungal issues. Milk contains lactic acid which alters the surface pH of plant foliage so that it is not hospitable to the development of powdery mildew spores. It also has anitbacterial properties that can be beneficial. But providing calcium just by spraying??? Nope!! Plants cannot process materials like molasses and milk in the same way that humans or other mammals can. If you poured the milk on the ground around the plant you might get some nutrient benefit but there are far more inexpensive methods to accomplish the same thing. 5) Neem oil is NOT a fertilizer!! It is an organic or natural pesticide but it has NO nutrient value. Its mode of action as a pesticide is to disrupt hormones which can have numerous implications - inability to mate or lay eggs, inability of insect larvae to moult or metamorphize, disruption of the digestive system. And it can smother soft bodied insects and act as repellant against some insect pests (grasshoppers and caterpillars in particular). It also has fungicidal properties but is of no value as a fertilizer. 6. The last two statements don't even make sense - does potassium contain blackstrap molasses and other nutrients and minerals?? Or is it the other way around?? In either case, neither is very accurate. Potassium is just potassium and molasses is pretty darn low on the plant nutrient scale, only providing 8% K, 12% Mg, 4% Fe and 4% Ca. Many other far less expensive and much better and broader sources of plant nutrients available with other organics. This is the Internet and all sorts of dubious sources publish all manner of nonsense that gets passed around and accepted for fact but before you repeat all that hokum it makes sense to research where it is coming from. Anecdotal reporting has no basis in science and is really not valid, although it can make for some entertaining reading. Look instead to science based websites - the extension service .edu websites or published scientific papers are a great place to start....See MoreSow bugs/Pill bugs/"rollie-pollies"/wretched insects from hell
Comments (23)These do eat plants when their numbers are high. They do. There should be no debating this. If anyone doesn't believe it, they haven't had an infestation of pill bugs and don't really have the experience to help someone regarding. I cannot grow legume or peas without killing these bugs in the area or they will take down every one of the healthy seedlings. I drench the soil in the area with liquid spinosad. Once the plant is established, it's good. I gotta eat, too. I read somewhere that pill bugs remove metals and is likely to remove some toxins in the soil. I'm still trying to figure why I have so many and what purpose they are serving beyond the normal "eat decaying matter"....See Moregardenlen
14 years agoKaren Pease
14 years agopreppystud
14 years agosunnibel7 Md 7
14 years agoeaglesgarden
14 years agocassieinmass
14 years agowest_texas_peg
14 years agosunnibel7 Md 7
14 years agodigdirt2
14 years agoKaren Pease
14 years agopreppystud
14 years agoKaren Pease
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14 years agojeroldrburrow
14 years agoKaren Pease
14 years agolathyrus_odoratus
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agozone10jane
8 years ago
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