cajunmo, you can be sure that you will get some good help here but it's important that we find out just 'who' your little culprits are. You see, most environmentally friendlier pesticides are very specific in the kinds of critters they control. Thus, we often 'preach' that the very first step is to properly ID the pest.

Here's what we need: a very good description of the pests (size, color, details), the name of the plants they are feeding on, HOW they feed (chewing, boring holes, sucking juices), etc. Of course, a picture would be terrific.

'Worms' might be caterpillars. With a description of the plants affected, the kind of nest, and of the critter, we might be able to ID it.

Just what is the 'beetle-like' insect doing and on which plants?

I commend you for understanding that those strong chemicals cause severe problems for other insects and wildlife. But remember, they not only kill bees (and other beneficial insects), but are harmful to you and your family.

There is no such thing as a "non toxic" pesticide since if anything kills something it is toxic, at least to that species. Water is toxic in large enough quantities, as willbe most everything we eat and drink.
Most all species of insect larva that eat leaves can be controlled by applications of Bacillus thuringiensis - Kurstaki, a disease that only affects leaf eating insects.
Other insect pests can be controlled by other low toxicity methods, such as dunking them in a bucket of soapy water, or squishing them. However, the single most bestest way to lower you plants exposure to insect pests is to look into the soil they are growing in and make that into a good and healthy soil that will grow strong and healthy plants that are less attractive to these insect pests. Get your soil nutrient load in balance and the soils pH in the range those plants prefer and you will see fewer problems with insect pests.

even though it is toxic to bees, you could use liquid Sevin. i apply it mid day when bees are least active to kill off the pests in the garden. the only ones it kills are the ones that land onthe plants, they don't transfer it back to the hive like other insecticides. don't use the dust, use the liquid. it is also safe to humans, as long as you don't drink it.

Kimmsr. I am afraid that you have collected some almost completely erroneous information on Bacillus thuringiensis-k. You've steered folks down this path before, so I guess you're just being a bit forgetful. It's very important that Bt-k and other Bt products be used ONLY for the pests they are listed for, to avoid an extravagance of the stuff being applied in gardens to the detriment of non-target insects.

Bt-k is only affective against the larvae of LEPIDOPTERA. This means the caterpillars of moths, butterflies, skippers, etc. No other leaf eating insects are affected in any manner.

However, not all caterpillars are considered pests, which is why Bt-k must not be used unadvisedly. And certainly not when an identification has not been made.

Attached is a simple fact sheet regarding bacillus thuringiensis uses. I think you'll find it interesting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Click here for more information

I'm almost positive that you're just baiting people with your pesticide comments, davidandkasie. ;-)

Your carelessness regarding the hazards of the pesticides you use is startling, especially in this day and age.

Sevin is insidious in its effects on humans, but not so for a huge list of other organisms. It is one of the most effective killer of Hymenopterans (bees and kin) and is the chemical of choice for killing earthworms.

Affects on humans vary enormously. It is certainly a cholinesterase inhibitor, however, which puts it in a category with other pesticides that ought to be handled with extreme caution.

That, Rhizo, is what I said. Most all leaf eating insect larva are the larva of the LEPIDOPTERA, the few lead eaters that are not are adults, not larva.

Thanks for all of your responses. Rhizo 1, here are the descriptions of the insect and caterpillar that I am wanting to control.
insect - The incest is similiar to a beetle but is a little larger than a pin head. They are blackish brown with shades of red and yellow on their backs. I find them in the leaves of my fig, blueberry and flower bushes (hydreangeas, roses, plumbagos.
Caterpillars (worms?) - These little rascals are making me crazy!!! The caterpillars have the ability to spin webs and seem to be coming from the trees. They are destoying all of my new foilage on mostly all of my plants. They curl the leaves up and seem to be nesting in the leaves. They have eaten my leaves on my cannes, blueberry, figs, iris, rose, blumbago, and just about everything else. The caterpillars are green and sometimes brown. They are about 1/2" long on average but some smaller. I have been in my house for 3 years and this is the first time they have been a problem. I live in Northeast Houston and it seems everyone in my area are having problems with these caterpillars. If somebody can suggest a pesticide that targets only the caterpillars, I would be very thankful.

By the way, I do feel that many people are very careless when using pesticides. I have some relatives in Louisiana that are farmers of 3500 acres. They also farmed crawfish on some of this land. To make a long story short, the pesticide they used for their soybeans found its way into their crawfish ponds and killed 95% of the crawfish. I am a nature lover and try to be as responsible as I can with saving our environment so I am very cautious with what I expose not only to my family and neighbors but also to the animals that call my neighborhood home. I would be very upset if my neighbor used a pesticide and the overspray reached my yard and harmed my family or pet. I would also like to say that I realize that most pesticides can be used if properly applied and some common sense is used when appling like wind, run off, rain, etc.. Thats all, just wanted everyone to know where I am coming from and my reasons for this request.

Sevin is a classified as a 'carbamate' rather than an 'organophosphate'. The effect of the carbamates on the mammalian nervous system is not stable and the medical treatment does not go as far as in cases of confirmed OP poisoning. The caterpillars sound like a "leaf roller" type and Bt ought to be effective. The "beetle" might be a thrip judging from the size and where they hang out. (IN the leaves.....) They usually do most damage to flowers and if this is not an issue then control may not be necessary.

Thanks Ronalawn, I will give Bt a try. I was thinking it may be some type of leaf roller but wasn't sure.

Kimmsr: sawfly larvae will be described here in the gardenweb soon, as those pesky critters are very common pests of a wide variety of plants. Don't recommend Bt for those, okay? Or for some of the leaf eating beetle larvae that happen to look alot like caterpillars.

rhizo,

If not Bt, what would you suggest for the caterpillars? Iv'e got to do something about them before they eat all of my foilage! Any suggestion?

You can try an extract from neem (Azidarachta indica) leaves. "Margosan" is one trade name that comes to mind. I am not sure how it works but fresh neem leaves (replaced weekly)kept weevils out of stored rice. The fresh leaves are intensely bitter (trust me!) and I would imagine that an extract (tea) sprayed on leaves will dissuade chewing insects from feasting. Some people have reported beneficial effects on aphids (sucking insects) so maybe there is some contact activity. A friend of mine tried the "tea" on some plants to stop deer from eating. It worked but he had to repeat the treatment every three days. The residual effect is short lived.

cajunmo...it does sound like you have caterpillars. It's just important to make certain of the ID. Bt will ONLY work on caterpillars, which are the larvae of butterflies or moths. That would be a good product to use when your caterpillars are still young and small.

I also very much like Neem products. In most locations, Neem oil is readily available under many different brand names. Read and follow the directions. It is labeled for nearly all sucking insects (like aphids, mites, scale) as well as leaf eating critters. It works largely as an anti-feedant and is proving to be very safe with our beneficial insects. As a matter of fact, neem is now being used IN bee colonies to control the mites that put the bees in peril.

Neem, by the way, is highly effective against leaf eating beetles and thrips. ;-)

When you find your Neem product, read and follow all instructions carefully.

when used as directed, any pesticide available off the shelf of any open to the public retailer is safe. the key here is the first phrase, WHEN USED AS DIRECTED.

every one of my garden hoses has a label that states "this hose or it's components contains lead, a substance know to teh state fo California to cause cancer". i don't plan on eating the fittings, so the lead ain't gonna hurt me. i also do not drink from my pesticide dispensers, and i wash off fully immediately after applying pesticides.

i have been directly sprayed before, and i can tell you it ain't no fun. when i worked for the USDA doing pesticide experiments, we were working a field hand counting bugs on the cotton. a crop duster sprayed the wrong field and soaked 7 of us. we all had to take off for a few days due to nausea and our eyes burning. this is why fields have signs up that NO ONE may enter for any reason. when i spray around my house, the same things goes, no people allowed in the area until it dries.

and no, i am not baiting people with posts about pesticides. pesiticide use is very common in my area. most folks still use the sevin dust, i switched to liquid for both ease of application and less collateral damage to the environment.

I am sorry if I sent an ambiguous message. I follow label instructions faithfully and urge everyone to do likewise.

When I say that neem is bitter I was remembering long ago and far away......... when we were encouraged to eat fresh neem leaves ("it will cure the blood!" ole people seh). Fresh neem leaves were put into the rice bag to protect the family food supply. The leaves were crushed and the paste was applied to eczema lesions which indicates miticidal action. They (ole people) made us sleep on a bed of fresh neem leaves when we came down with measles. If you do not know of the condition,'Google' it.
The brief nostalgic trip felt good. Thanks!

How interesting! I know (from reading) that Neem has an ancient history in association with humans but have never met anyone who had a personal relationship with it!

That 'bitter' quality is often mentioned, also, in referrence to the anti-feedant properties of Neem. It's quickly becoming an important ingredient in herbal mosquito repellents, made for human skin. Makes sense to YOU, I'm sure!

Do you mind if I ask where you were when Neem was an important part of your childhood? It is native to India, I know, but I expect that it was introduced to other parts of the world long ago.

I would add "bitter/sweet" to that description of the relationship. My foreparents were from India but I myself was born in British Guiana, now Guyana. Our grandparents' generation is fondly referred to as "Ole People". Believe me they could hold their own with any present day Drill Sergeant but from them, my generation acquired much wisdom. To be sure we were a captive audience....No electricity....No TV....very little radio but a grandmother who knew everything. I am grateful for that part of my growing up.

We are Beekeepers from Ontario. We are very concerned about the recent outbreak of Colony Collapse Disorder that is killing the bees in the States. I feel pesticides are largely to blame. Some pesticides will disorient the bee and it will not find its way back to the hive. This weekens the hive and it will probably die. Many pesticides on the market contain toxins that will kill out bees. Check out this interesting article below on Pesticies killing our bees.
We sell our honey every weekend at fairs and festivals. I talk to many people and would like to have some information to offer people a homemade alternative to the store bought pesticides. Can anyone recommend any bee-friendly and people-friendly homemade pesticides and especially weedicides recipes???
Thank you
Janet & Bob & our Honeybees

Here is a link that might be useful: killing our bees

Cajunmo, the Bt should work for your cat-type pests. As for bees, lots of pesticides are toxic to them. For this reason, it is best to use whatever pesticide you decide on at sundown to give it time to dry, and hopefully not hurt the bees. Also, keep in mind that bees are visiting flowers, not hanging around in foliage, so be careful about spraying flowering plants that have bee attraction properties. I garden organically, and rarely use anything to control pests besides occasional Bt or soapy spray.
Ontariohoneybee- we here in the states are very concerned about CCD also, especially those of us who have hives. I'm a hobbyist and enjoy having them for the pollination of my garden, but those who depend on the bees to make their living are feeling the major impact. Those farmers who rent pollination services are as well. I'm not aware that the disorder has been connected to pesticide use as of yet. My hunch (and perhaps I am wrong) is a combination of management practices (pest and disease control), nutrition, and way too much manipulation of genetics for controlling temperament and productivity. I am watching to see what is found.
Mrs H

Mrs H - Nice post! I too grow organically, but on occasion use short-lived botanical pesticides for the control of some hard shelled insects like flea beetles. To minimize damage to other insects I generally spot treat the infested areas rather than blanket spraying my entire garden. I bring this up because the original poster mentioned problems with beetles, too.

Another approach would be to determine the life-cycle of the beetle. Many beetles spend their larval stage in the ground. In many cases, beneficial nematodes can be used to attack this stage and will not harm bees.

Here is a link that might be useful: Beneficial Nematodes