The Battle is ON!!!

With.......the BUGS.
Thought now would be a good time to review some of our unwanted garden visitors. First up the Cutworm. There is a huge number of these in my field this year. What is different this year is what they are doing. Normally, the damage is what you see below. But this year they are are eating leaves as well. Cutworms come out at night and do their dirty work. If you're plants are chewed off, but laying there, it is likely cutworm. If they are missing entirely it is more likely rabbit. If you suspect a cutworm, dig around in the soil right next to the plant, about 80% of the time I find a cutworm or two. Promptly squish. The same insecticide that you use for lawn grubs will kill cutworms if you have a big problem. When planting stemed plants, like tomato, place a small stick directly next to the plant, parallel with the stem. Then the cutworm can't cut it off, and the stick can get tilled under in the fall. Better than tangling up nails in the tiller or worst yet your sandal!
Below is the Colorado Potato Beetle. Never seen it? Plant potatoes. These beetles are huge, about 1/2 the size of a June Bug or so. When I first spot the adults, I also check the undersides of the leaves where they lay there tiny yellow eggs in big clusters. Remove and smash of course. The beetles are slow so I hand pick them and toss in a used gatorade bottle along with the juvenille bugs. They don't bite, so if I don't have a bottle along I pick a handful then step on them. So much death in my garden.....
Below are the juvenille stages, tiny and big. At this stage they consume huge amounts of leaf tissue, damaging your plants. Not stopped, they can and will strip the plants. The leaves are what make the food for the plant, so w/o leaves your done! BT is about the only product that is really effective, and I going to try Sevin tomorrow. This hand picking is too time consuming.

So gross aren't they? These insects will also feed on tomato, eggplant and peppers. These plants are all from the nightshade family. I'll try to review a variety of our local pests to 'be on the look out for' this week.

added later; Almost forgot another fun story: One year I did not combat the beetles, and by late summer, all I had was stems loaded with beetles. Finally taking matters into my own hands.... the butane torch and I took a stroll to the garden. Sounded like Jiffy Pop over a campfire.