What are your bugs control experience?
jctsai8b
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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wisconsitom
8 years agoTom zone 9b Florida
8 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 MoreWhats your favorite Bug Killer for Lawns?
Comments (14)antzy - You'll hear a lot here about avoidance of chemicals and not harming beneficial insects and the like. And believe me, all of it is good advice; after all, why kill an insect or worm if it is helping to aerate (and eventually fertilize) your lawn? However, I, for one, have suffered ant infestations that have so over-cultivated beneath the lawn that two areas dried out and died - because I was trying to leave them there after hearing they were good for the lawn (incidentally, I DO leave them in my front lawn, because they aren't creating mounds there and they aren't causing the lawn to die). Chemical control was a Godsend. Additionally, I nearly lost my front lawn to grubs (and the moles that followed) one year. Castor oil (nontoxic) successfully chased away the moles, but chemicals knocked out the grubs and saved the lawn. I now do alternating preventative treatments (Mach2 one year - Spectracide halofenozide product; Merit the next - Bayer imidacloprid product) - less toxic chemicals that replaced the more harmful "rescue" treatments necessitated by a previous avoidance of chemicals. I'm a busy man, but my lawn is a bit of a hobby and I've researched a lot of stuff, from toxicity to effectiveness. Ultimately, I've had a little experience, and continue to gain more. First, Rhizo's entirely right - Sevin's murder on earthworms. It can be a grub "rescue" treatment (admittedly, it's what I used to rescue my lawn), if necessary, but acc. to pros I've read from, Dylox (Bayer brand 24 hr. grub killer) is stronger (on grubs), breaks down more quickly in the soil, and won't cause AS MUCH harm to earthworms (though it certainly harms them). If you've determined you need some kind of control for pests, I would recommend you read the extoxnet and EPA info on the pesticides you're looking into, to see if they're good for your application. Additionally, lurk a bit on www.lawnsite.com, where professional lawn care people post regarding their experiences with different products (in the pesticide application section). For what it's worth, I've had great success with Triazicide - both granular and liquid (granules last longer) on killing ants in the lawn. Its active ingredient, lambda-cyhalothrin, is a synthetic pyrethroid - the family of chemicals used for interior insect killing in homes and restaurants. It lasts long because it bonds to the soil; however, while it's labeled for grub killing, many say it's bonding quality lessens the effectiveness (because doesn't get deep enough in the ground). As illustrated by synthetic pyrethroids' widespread approval for interior applications, it poses little if any threat to mammals when used according to directions and allowed to dry before reentry. Re earthworms, I have TONS of them after treating with Triazicide. I'm sure it's not good for them, but it hasn't changed their population noticeably. For grubs, halofenozide (Mach2 - the active ingredient in Spectracide Grub Stop) causes grubs to molt early, which in turn causes them to stop feeding and die. Imidacloprid (Merit - active ingredient in Bayer Season Long Grub Control and the new Scotts GrubEx) is brought into the roots of the lawn (systemic) and when young grubs bite, it kills them. Both are very light toxicity to mammals, but because they are so mild, their application must be timed with the grub (several beetle species, most common Japanese and June beetles) life cycle. Pros suggest you put them down in early July so that the young grubs get them right after their eggs hatch. Run a google search to learn about the grub cycle. Merit and Mach2 have virtually no effect on earthworms. If you have let the grubs mature come fall (or if your initial treatment fails), Bayer Dylox is the product to "zap" them. It uses Trichlorfon, an organophosphate insecticide, which is much more toxic to mammals so reentry rules must be observed carefully. Some suggest beneficial nematodes for grubs (and even ants, for that matter). But I've heard from many (including pros) that they are very inconsistent, die or burrow too deeply in dry weather, and are very expensive. I'm not going to use them. FINALLY, there is one product out that combines pyrethroids with Merit - Bayer's total lawn insect killer. It combines Cyfluthrin (a pyrethroid) with Merit, to get both contact killing of insects and systemic killing of pests that feed on grass roots. I may try this next season to see if it simplifies things. I share your concerns and wish you all the best....See MoreControl of large mealy bug outbreak
Comments (8)I just wanted to give you an update on my battle with the mealy bug infestation. It looks like I got rid of them. Last fall I took cuttings of all the coleus and sprayed each one carefully with an organic pesticide before rooting them. I watched them like a hawk and eliminated two cuttings that showed some bug infestations. The rest was clean. My infested bonsai I sprayed with neem oil three times before I wintered them outside. So far no sign of any bugs. My fuchsias and fuchsia standards got a drastic haircut in late September, potted up and repeatedly sprayed with the same organic pesticide spray (it is even approved for indoor use. Anyways, the pruning back to almost bare stems and trunk got rid of many bugs and the spray was able to reach each nook and cranny and also drench the soil. Through the wintering process I watched them carefully too and had to spray only one one time. Oh, each time I spotted on I would immediately isolate that plant for about three weeks or so after spraying. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I got rid of the bugs, but will also keep monitoring my plants carefully throughout the growing season. Thanks again for all your thoughts and suggestions last summer. I wanted to let you know how things went, I felt I owed you at least that much. I hope you all have a great growing year. M....See MoreControls for Stink Bugs & Cucumber Beetles
Comments (3)I believe this could work... My cukes were destroyed by wilt and I have noticed an abnormal amount of striped Cuke beetles this year. I would go out each morning and pick them off the vines/blossoms, often killing 50-60/day. I happened to find a couple pumpkin seedlings growing at our local compost/yard waste site, pulled them up and planted them at home. Ever since they started blooming, they are an easy target for the cuke beetles and much easier for me to find, trap and pick out of those huge blossoms. And, I seem to be finding fewer and fewer. I'm not sure why they are so bad this year but hopefully, my killing them off by the hundreds will make next year better, although I WILL be planting pumpkins again. They also like the big zucchini blossoms too but the stink/squash bugs are slowly killing them off. I have seen squash/stink bugs nymphs on my corn (as well as sunflowers and beans) so I suspect they would go for millet, which seems to resemble a corn plant somewhat. One interesting thing though: I have 2 pear trees: a European and Asian... the stink bugs (BMSB) only bother the Asian pear tree......See Morewisconsitom
8 years agoMia Miami
8 years agojctsai8b
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoMia Miami
8 years agoLarue Pest Management, Inc.
8 years agoLarue Pest Management, Inc.
8 years agowisconsitom
8 years agojctsai8b
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agowisconsitom
8 years agoMichael AKA Leekle2ManE
8 years agowisconsitom
8 years agoMia Miami
8 years ago
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Michael AKA Leekle2ManE