Fear of bugs and insects
telephonoscope
13 years ago
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morz8 - Washington Coast
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Insect and bug control in your GHs
Comments (30)Brendan Had damage from Wilma so last year I "loosened "it up rather than tightened.lol Took everything off the roof except 4 inch vinyl lattice. Going to use vines for shade come summer. The first time I used Zebra finches ,second time orange cheek waxbills.. These didn't work at all for several reasons besides being killed by rats lol The runaway best has been Honeycreepers. No mess of seed eaters and since I water every third day liquid droppings are no problem. They are voracious insect eaters main problem with keeping them in cages.. One small problem they ate EVERY insect so had to supply pinhead crickets. Again no problem as I keep Anoles ,geckoes and two skinks. They ate all the lady bugs as well as the mantis which is why if I try it again thought I'd go up to those tropical GIANTS lol. It's kind of fun to try to get it balanced out but I fear impossible in susch a small area. Warning for those thinking of using Anoles.lol Given good conditions your pair will turn into hundreds lol. Besides what happens when you run out of bugs?? They will starve. I let them come and go as they choose as they are quite common here in florida so if they run out of food they just go outside. Now that the roof is open again I'm attracting wild birds. Which solves some problems creates others. lol Of couse this means I can't keep domestic birds I'm going to try the honeycreepers again not so much for the bug eating but because two clutches would pay for the entire remake of the shadehouse And also they are my favorite bird. Nothing more beautiful than a male in full color. Wilma almost wiped out my bird collection and was thinking of giving them up. except in the dedicated aviary. There are soooooo many problems with keeping birds and I'm getting old lol I added some California and button quail to the aviary as a method of weed control. Too soon for results but they are delightful to watch and they do clean up the floor. Rats and snakes are just minor problems in aviculture unfortuneately . If your thinking of using finches for bug control I could make some suggestions or at leat tell you which ones to avoid lol gary...See MoreBugs / insects in african violet soil, plant/leaves are great
Comments (8)Springtails (if that's what you have) are generally of no harm to the plant. They feed on dead plant material, usually at the soil surface and will much prefer to munch on the peat in the soil mix than living plant tissue. Treating to kill them is likely to be harder on your plant than simply leaving things as they are. I wouldn't worry about them too much. I see them at times with my plants, and I've seen them in other people's plants. They seem to come with the territory. Mark...See MoreHelp Identify Insects/bugs/ants affecting plants and how to Fix
Comments (2)The damage on the first several plants is minor. But look now and then to determine if the damage is getting worse. If not, could be that the critter(s) is(are) gone. If increasing, check the tops & backs of the leaves as you search for the hungry beasts. The cuke is definitely in trouble. Perhaps short of water at the roots and/or reflected heat off the fence/wall? Is it in a pot? If so, what size? How often do you water? And how? (drip, trickle, ooze, hose, or sprinkler?)...See MoreLawn Bug/Insect ID
Comments (6)If you just now starting to notice these beetles, they probably are just starting to emerge from the soil to begin their mating season. It's pointless to check for grubs now because they probably haven't even laid the eggs, yet. If they have laid them, they haven't hatched, yet. If you see more then a handful of them flying around (maybe smacking into your homes siding, even) it's a good bet that your lawn will be infested. A single Green June Beetle female can lay up 65-75 eggs in a two week period. The eggs hatch in about 18-20 days. If you wait until about the first or second week in August to apply a Dylox treatment, you will get good control. Dylox only lasts about 48 hours before it loses effectiveness, so you definitely want to wait until after they have hatched, You should be fine applying Dylox when you seed in the fall. However, that's a general statement... and it will depend on the specific product that you are using. Last year, I applied Bayer Advanced 24 hour grub killer (w/ Dylox) around the time I seeded and there was no impact on the germination or development of the Turf Type Tall Fescue. I will caution you- Dylox is really the nuclear option. It's one of the more dangerous lawn chemicals, IMO. You don't want to let your children or pets near the stuff. For my dog, last year I didnt let her renter the backyard for about 1 week after the treatment because there were thousands of dead grubs on the surface. I was afraid she would eat the grubs and ingest the chemical. I am typically the type of lawn care nut who tries to go 100% organic/natural in my backyard due to my dog (and future baby... only a few months away!) However, sometimes you have to use what tools are available or make the choice between the lesser of two evils. For me, grub preventer (e.g. grubEx) in my backyard is more of a problem than grub cure (e.g. Dylox). GrubEx and other preventers purpose is to sit there in the soil for several months, active.... just waiting for my dog to dig a hole to bury a toy or bone that she will later dig back up and eat, ingesting the chemical. Dylox, on the other hand, will break down in a couple of days. Thankfully, I haven't seen a single GJB this year. Last year, I had a biblical plague of those buggers. My approach is to play it by ear. But if I only see a couple of them, I'm not going to sweat it and will likely skip Dylox....See MoreBelgianpup
12 years agovetivert8
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