What are your favorite pest control methods? - Page 2

Blake_HTX · May 1, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

They are nicer to a point.

Worth

well they definitely seem to not care that I'm poking around my plants while they're in them.

ContainerTed · May 1, 2016

I don't like these "organic" things. They kill slowly and that's cruel in my estimation. Today, I killed a squirrel because it had destroyed the nest of a sparrow and eaten the 5 eggs in it. The sparrow is one that has been around here for a couple of years, and is recognizable for a black color splotch in the center of its breast feathers. She always sits on the birdbath and sings every morning.

So, like Robert, I use malathion and sometimes spectracide. Bugs that work to deny me my harvest will always know my wrath. As far as the chemicals in my food, I think we've all been eating them for decades and that isn't going to slow down anytime soon.

Think about this. Those authorities who set "acceptable limits" on how much poison we consumers can tolerate without having immediate symptoms are compromising our health to the benefit of the big boys like Monsanto and other similar conglomerates. And it's all about money.

So, I kill quickly and eat what I can. Kill first and then identify.

JMHO. My way of doing it. Of course, your methods and your results may be different.

oakley · May 1, 2016

And i do agree that some climates will have zero crop at all without intervention.
And i do think a careful balance can be met in any climate.

joseph · May 2, 2016

I allow the bugs and diseases to do what they will without interference from me. Then I save seeds from the plants that survived best. For best results with this method, I have to have lots of genetic diversity within my crops.

ilex · May 2, 2016

Bird boxes, jackets, flowers, ducks and chickens

frankcar1965 · May 2, 2016

Much easier to crush a mosquito dunk up and sprinkle over your plants than trying to keep some ground up glass on the surface of the soil. And pretty cheap too. You can do it periodically very easily. Mosquito dunks contain Bt and it is the same thing as Gnatrol I think.

Blake_HTX · May 3, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilex

Bird boxes, jackets, flowers, ducks and chickens

If I had the land I would have ducks and chickens but for now I can use lizards and pesticides lol

fonseca · May 3, 2016

Fungus Gnats: neem seed meal top dressing works great.
Anything eating vegetation: cold-pressed neem oil foliar (temporarily deters but does not stop slugs).
Slugs: iron phosphate pellets, beer traps.
Earwigs: Neem oil, DE, tuna oil traps.

Cold pressed neem oil with 3000ppm Azadirachtin is a potent insecticide. It will get rid of aphids and spider mites, whereas the chemically-extracted products don't do much of anything for those pests. It works for caterpillars (including hornworms), whitefly, and cucumber beetles (although by the time the beetles are on my cucurbits they have already spread bacterial wilt). Mixed results with flea beetles. I have fewer flea beetle issues when top dressing containers with neem seed meal.

I might try Spinosad to prevent squash vine borers this month.

I have a giant bag of feed grade DE with bentonite, but I am reluctant to use it on flowering plants. It definitely kills bumblebees. Not sure about honey bees.

Tracydr · May 3, 2016

[QUOTE=Blake_HTX;556535]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oakley

First year gardens are often pretty successful. If studied and prepped with good soil, weed barrier, good food, compost, etc. Year two and three is when some unwanted slugs and grubs and cutworm and others find you if prone to that in your area. Takes a few years to get it all in balance.

Thanks for the suggestions!

My backyard is connected to a huge field with all kinds of critters coming out of the field to my yard. I have to watch out for cotton mouths as I've seen a couple of them sneak into my yard. I also have a lot of bushes that border my fence lines, so a lot of coverage for pests. I'm building a greenhouse soon too so hopefully that should make a difference.

How are you planning to cool your greenhouse? I'm considering building a large one to use yeast round. I have a 6 foot by 8 foot now.

Tracydr · May 3, 2016

Fungus gnats you can use the mosquitos pellets. They contain a different form of BT. Just dissolve in water and water each plant. These are potted plants?

Blake_HTX · May 3, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tracydr

Fungus gnats you can use the mosquitos pellets. They contain a different form of BT. Just dissolve in water and water each plant. These are potted plants?

Yes potted plants. Thanks, I will give it a try.

Blake_HTX · May 3, 2016

[QUOTE=Tracydr;556986]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blake_HTX

How are you planning to cool your greenhouse? I'm considering building a large one to use yeast round. I have a 6 foot by 8 foot now.

Am going to throw a couple fans in there and see if that does enough. Maybe even construct an intake and exhaust if it stays too warm. I probably wont be doing the greenhouse until the end of summer though. I want it for over wintering a few things. Next summer I will figure out what to do about the heat.

Blake_HTX · May 3, 2016

[QUOTE=fonseca;556983]Fungus Gnats: neem seed meal top dressing works great.
Anything eating vegetation: cold-pressed neem oil foliar (temporarily deters but does not stop slugs).
Slugs: iron phosphate pellets, beer traps.
Earwigs: Neem oil, DE, tuna oil traps.

Cold pressed neem oil with 3000ppm Azadirachtin is a potent insecticide. It will get rid of aphids and spider mites, whereas the chemically-extracted products don't do much of anything for those pests. It works for caterpillars (including hornworms), whitefly, and cucumber beetles (although by the time the beetles are on my cucurbits they have already spread bacterial wilt). Mixed results with flea beetles. I have fewer flea beetle issues when top dressing containers with neem seed meal.

Thank you for your detailed response! I have heard good things about neem and the beer traps for slugs so i will give all that a try. As for the Gnats I'm battling them by drying out the soil and adding DE to the soil.

Mike723 · May 4, 2016

I've used gnatnix indoors with marginal success.. I'm surprised to see that no one has mentioned predatory nematodes! They are extremely effective at keeping fungus gnat larvae under control.. There's nothing better than a natural system that has a healthy balance of predators to keep pests under control.. People that douse their plants with chemicals fail to realize that they aren't selective and kill many beneficial predators as well; opening the door to further attacks and more chemicals.. I manage a healthy spider mite population easily with predatory mites and not a splash of synthetic poison.. Here's a link that should prove helpful, good luck! https://greenmethods.com/nematodes/

Edit: You'd probably benefit most from Steinernema feltiae, as they have the longest life span at 20 weeks..

Tracydr · May 4, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilex

Bird boxes, jackets, flowers, ducks and chickens

What do you mean by jackets? Planning to get some duck babies to live in the garden this summer. Flowers, working on it.
I need a stink bug and leaf footed bug remedy if anybody can help? Surround,maybe? What's a good place to buy a reasonably small amount of Surround?

May 1, 2016	#17
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	I don't like these "organic" things. They kill slowly and that's cruel in my estimation. Today, I killed a squirrel because it had destroyed the nest of a sparrow and eaten the 5 eggs in it. The sparrow is one that has been around here for a couple of years, and is recognizable for a black color splotch in the center of its breast feathers. She always sits on the birdbath and sings every morning. So, like Robert, I use malathion and sometimes spectracide. Bugs that work to deny me my harvest will always know my wrath. As far as the chemicals in my food, I think we've all been eating them for decades and that isn't going to slow down anytime soon. Think about this. Those authorities who set "acceptable limits" on how much poison we consumers can tolerate without having immediate symptoms are compromising our health to the benefit of the big boys like Monsanto and other similar conglomerates. And it's all about money. So, I kill quickly and eat what I can. Kill first and then identify. JMHO. My way of doing it. Of course, your methods and your results may be different. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

May 4, 2016	#29
Mike723 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: CT Posts: 290	I've used gnatnix indoors with marginal success.. I'm surprised to see that no one has mentioned predatory nematodes! They are extremely effective at keeping fungus gnat larvae under control.. There's nothing better than a natural system that has a healthy balance of predators to keep pests under control.. People that douse their plants with chemicals fail to realize that they aren't selective and kill many beneficial predators as well; opening the door to further attacks and more chemicals.. I manage a healthy spider mite population easily with predatory mites and not a splash of synthetic poison.. Here's a link that should prove helpful, good luck! https://greenmethods.com/nematodes/ Edit: You'd probably benefit most from Steinernema feltiae, as they have the longest life span at 20 weeks.. Last edited by Mike723; May 4, 2016 at 06:36 PM.

May 2, 2016	#19
joseph Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: Cache Valley, N/E of The Great Salt Lake Posts: 1,244	I allow the bugs and diseases to do what they will without interference from me. Then I save seeds from the plants that survived best. For best results with this method, I have to have lots of genetic diversity within my crops.

May 2, 2016	#20
ilex Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Spain Posts: 416	Bird boxes, jackets, flowers, ducks and chickens

May 2, 2016	#21
frankcar1965 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: NW Louisiana Posts: 89	Much easier to crush a mosquito dunk up and sprinkle over your plants than trying to keep some ground up glass on the surface of the soil. And pretty cheap too. You can do it periodically very easily. Mosquito dunks contain Bt and it is the same thing as Gnatrol I think.

May 3, 2016	#23
fonseca Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 205	Fungus Gnats: neem seed meal top dressing works great. Anything eating vegetation: cold-pressed neem oil foliar (temporarily deters but does not stop slugs). Slugs: iron phosphate pellets, beer traps. Earwigs: Neem oil, DE, tuna oil traps. Cold pressed neem oil with 3000ppm Azadirachtin is a potent insecticide. It will get rid of aphids and spider mites, whereas the chemically-extracted products don't do much of anything for those pests. It works for caterpillars (including hornworms), whitefly, and cucumber beetles (although by the time the beetles are on my cucurbits they have already spread bacterial wilt). Mixed results with flea beetles. I have fewer flea beetle issues when top dressing containers with neem seed meal. I might try Spinosad to prevent squash vine borers this month. I have a giant bag of feed grade DE with bentonite, but I am reluctant to use it on flowering plants. It definitely kills bumblebees. Not sure about honey bees.

May 3, 2016	#25
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	Fungus gnats you can use the mosquitos pellets. They contain a different form of BT. Just dissolve in water and water each plant. These are potted plants?

May 3, 2016	#28
Blake_HTX Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 37	[QUOTE=fonseca;556983]Fungus Gnats: neem seed meal top dressing works great. Anything eating vegetation: cold-pressed neem oil foliar (temporarily deters but does not stop slugs). Slugs: iron phosphate pellets, beer traps. Earwigs: Neem oil, DE, tuna oil traps. Cold pressed neem oil with 3000ppm Azadirachtin is a potent insecticide. It will get rid of aphids and spider mites, whereas the chemically-extracted products don't do much of anything for those pests. It works for caterpillars (including hornworms), whitefly, and cucumber beetles (although by the time the beetles are on my cucurbits they have already spread bacterial wilt). Mixed results with flea beetles. I have fewer flea beetle issues when top dressing containers with neem seed meal. Thank you for your detailed response! I have heard good things about neem and the beer traps for slugs so i will give all that a try. As for the Gnats I'm battling them by drying out the soil and adding DE to the soil.