Looks like a bad year for stink bugs.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Kinda of a crazy question Bill, but I wonder is the use of the DE killing off the predators too that would help keep the mites in check? I wonder have you looked real close at your mites? The reason I ask is with such a massive population as what you have do you have the predatory mite that eats the bad mite possibly too and why it seems like you over run with them?

In forty years of growing tomatoes and at least 15 years with some degree of spider mite problems I have never seen them like they are this year. The DE wasn't used until the mites were a devastating problem. I was delayed a couple of days in treating the plants due to some health issues and in that time they went from bad to horrible. Another day or two and all my tomato plants would have died. As it is I have lost 90% or more of the foliage on over half my plants due to the damage. It isn't like I don't watch for spider mites every year and I rarely miss a day inspecting the garden for problems; but this was really unusual and I hope to never see it again. I had a year where Septoria did the same thing to my garden despite diligent use of fungicides because we got daily rains during the mid summer heat and it was almost impossible to stop before it ruined most of my plants.

The DE has been a true garden saver for me this year with the spider mites and last year with the stink bugs and leaf footed bugs. I am so happy to find a less lethal way of combating some of the more problematic pests. The last time I had a really bad infestation of spider mites was about ten years ago and to keep them from totally destroying my garden I spent more than a month spraying every 2 to 3 days with alternating pesticides, soaps and oils. Sulfur is not an option in this heat down here.

Bill

[Starlight]

I feel so bad for you. So much work, doesn't even give you time just to sit back and enjoy your crop with fighting pests everyday.

Saw on news a bit ago that you running about 10 degrees cooler than me. You must have got some rain or a cool breeze.

Why no sulfur products with the heat? Does it burn the plants or something?

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Starlight

I feel so bad for you. So much work, doesn't even give you time just to sit back and enjoy your crop with fighting pests everyday.

Saw on news a bit ago that you running about 10 degrees cooler than me. You must have got some rain or a cool breeze.

Why no sulfur products with the heat? Does it burn the plants or something?

I don't know where you are getting the temperature readings. Today it got to 97 according to my thermometer which is in the shade 10 feet off the ground on an air conditioned building. Weather Underground reported 95 today but I believe it was hotter. I like to use Weather Underground because they have a station near my home and are usually much closer to what I am getting with my own thermometers. Two weeks ago they reported two days of temps reaching 107. When I looked at my own thermometer I thought it was broken because I had never seen it show over 104 and it was above 105 so I checked and rechecked with WU and they were reporting 107. The last few days the nights have been a bit cooler with it actually getting down to 73 two nights ago. The days are cooler now than they were a week ago but still blisteringly hot in the mid 90s with no rain. These seem to be perfect conditions for spider mites while they are awful for gardeners.

I really had a nice time and enjoyed my garden thoroughly from March thru most of June and then it just got too hot to enjoy much. A few hours very early in the morning has been the only time I make an appearance in the garden. I am usually out of there by 8:30 and dripping with sweat without doing anything more strenuous than watering and picking a few toms. I have also had to do most of my spraying in the mornings because it is just too hot even at sundown to go out there for more than a few minutes. Of course the mosquitoes are no help either when going out at sunrise and sundown. I end up slathered in sunscreen and DEET.

Sulfur will damage foliage in temps above 90 degrees and so that pretty much leaves it off the list of things to use from the end of May til the end of September.

Bill

[Cole_Robbie]

I have this fantasy about an air-conditioned tent on wheels that I can roll along with me as I garden.

[Starlight]

Bill... I was watching channel 9. They been wrong before, probably were in this case. They saying this morning better chances of rain and low to mid 90's for next week. Better get out the scarfs and winter coats if it does. ; ) So miserable during the day and still in low 80's at 3 in morning. I hear you, usually out about 6:30 - 7 am and by the time you water you are a sweat mess and already exhausted for the day. Good thing, hopefully it won't be for to many more weeks.


I keep forgetting to ask you. I'm thinking about treating one whole section of ground. The deer bad here in the gardens even during the day. Which means the tics are going to be bad again this year if we don't have any cold again. They bad now. They say the tics don't carry Lyme disease during summer months but do during fall when you out and about in gardens.

Will the DE kill the tics and other pests in the ground and not hurt living critters and mainly my worms? Just finally getting a good population of them building up. Now if the worms would just quit trying to eat them.

The bottom of the tents have a hole to put stakes to hold tent in ground. I have wondered if it would be possible to drill a bigger hole and put wheels on. Would be easier than having to pick whole tent frame up and move it.

Cole-Robbie ... Can become a reality. I have one of them pop up tents and takes a bit of maneuvering but I shuffle it across the ground when pulling weeds for hours. A long extension cord and a fan helps too.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Bill... I was watching channel 9. They been wrong before, probably were in this case. They saying this morning better chances of rain and low to mid 90's for next week. Better get out the scarfs and winter coats if it does. ; ) So miserable during the day and still in low 80's at 3 in morning. I hear you, usually out about 6:30 - 7 am and by the time you water you are a sweat mess and already exhausted for the day. Good thing, hopefully it won't be for to many more weeks.


I keep forgetting to ask you. I'm thinking about treating one whole section of ground. The deer bad here in the gardens even during the day. Which means the tics are going to be bad again this year if we don't have any cold again. They bad now. They say the tics don't carry Lyme disease during summer months but do during fall when you out and about in gardens.

Will the DE kill the tics and other pests in the ground and not hurt living critters and mainly my worms? Just finally getting a good population of them building up. Now if the worms would just quit trying to eat them.

The bottom of the tents have a hole to put stakes to hold tent in ground. I have wondered if it would be possible to drill a bigger hole and put wheels on. Would be easier than having to pick whole tent frame up and move it.

Cole-Robbie ... Can become a reality. I have one of them pop up tents and takes a bit of maneuvering but I shuffle it across the ground when pulling weeds for hours. A long extension cord and a fan helps too.

I don't have a tick problem but do have flea problems due to so many dogs and squirrels. I usually spray any leftover DE/Permethrin/Dawn mix around my yard when I am finished spraying my tomatoes and peppers for spider mites. It seems to slow down the fleas and also house flies. I dust it heavily in the corners of my garage and storage building and it kills roaches and other insects so that I rarely see any of them. I think if you used a duster and applied the DE more heavily it might work on ticks also but I'm not sure. It would only be effective when dry so if it rained you would have to reapply it but it is cheap if you buy a 50 lb bag or more so use it liberally. I have found lots of dead fleas in my dog house after applying it to the inside with a duster. I even dusted my dogs with it a couple of times and it did get rid of most of the fleas they had. Once the real flea season starts I use Comfortis because it is just so effective and easy but it ain't cheap.

Bill

[Starlight]

Thanks Bill. Appreciate the advice and help. In past years before I decided to go as organic as possible I used to use a product like Terminex to get rid of the pests, but it killed all the beneficials too.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Doing a happy dance. Finally we got some rain last night and got a good soaking for once. Won't take much for it to dry up today as we so dry, but sure was glad to see the rain. I know the trees and critters were happy too. Hopefully we'll get some of predicted rain for all week. Will make it easier to pull weeds and do clean up and I'll try some of the DE and hopefully the bugs will more or less stay away for fall cropping.

[b54red]

I was also jumping for joy. We got an inch of rain yesterday afternoon and the forecast is for a 20% to 30% chance for the next ten days so we may get some more. Of course now I will have to spray my spider mite spray again but I don't care. It takes far less time to spray my tomatoes than it does to hand water them all. They are also forecasting it to be a bit cooler but then again they forecast 91 for yesterday and it reached 98 just before the rain moved in.

Bill

[Starlight]

Bill... Are you having to get the row boat out yet? ; ) Boy we have gone from severe drought to afternoon drenches. We need it bad and it sure does help lower these 100+ temps and high humidity, but now haven't had a dry day in a week here and looks like none for next week either.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Bill... Are you having to get the row boat out yet? ; ) Boy we have gone from severe drought to afternoon drenches. We need it bad and it sure does help lower these 100+ temps and high humidity, but now haven't had a dry day in a week here and looks like none for next week either.

No rowboat yet but they are forecasting a lot more rain this week. So far we only got the one good shower of an inch and a couple of others under 1/2 inch but it has been enough to split a lot of fruit after such hot dry weather. We got another good shower yesterday late but I haven't checked to see how much. I did pick a half a bucket of tomatoes today and at least half had bad splitting especially Rebel Yell, Brandywine Cowlicks and the black varieties.

Bill

[kath]

So it turns out that covering tomatoes with drawstring organza bags does NOT keep fruits safe from stink bugs, but rather gives them a place to lay their eggs and totally destroy the fruits and some of the bags. Kept the birds from pecking, though.

[nhardy]

Got wrens visiting this week. I cleaned up a small bird bath for them to stay near my tomatoes. Saw they got into my tomato coop looking around for a snack. Hoping they help themselves to as many stink bugs are they like before they leave.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by kath

So it turns out that covering tomatoes with drawstring organza bags does NOT keep fruits safe from stink bugs, but rather gives them a place to lay their eggs and totally destroy the fruits and some of the bags. Kept the birds from pecking, though.

Wow! I am surprised. You would think it would keep them out. Are they on top of the bags or going inside.

They have finally arrived here in a big way along with even more hornworms. I finally got tired of trying to catch and destroy the bugs and since it end of summer season, and have more than plenty tomatoes and seeds, I pulled or cut back my plants of ones I wanted to keep going. With the cutback the stinkbugs seem to be staying off the plants.

I wonder if it the smell of the tomatoes that attracts them. Of course it doesn't help to have a neighbors garden a few feet away that doesn't scout and just lets bugs and diseases run rampant.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Wow! I am surprised. You would think it would keep them out. Are they on top of the bags or going inside.

They have finally arrived here in a big way along with even more hornworms. I finally got tired of trying to catch and destroy the bugs and since it end of summer season, and have more than plenty tomatoes and seeds, I pulled or cut back my plants of ones I wanted to keep going. With the cutback the stinkbugs seem to be staying off the plants.

I wonder if it the smell of the tomatoes that attracts them. Of course it doesn't help to have a neighbors garden a few feet away that doesn't scout and just lets bugs and diseases run rampant.

You should try my sink bug killer mix. I have had no problem with them now for two years even though they showed up early this year I wiped them out. Permethrin is the only poison I use on them and it is quite mild but the combination of 2 TBS of Dawn and 2/3 cup of food grade DE makes the mix long lasting which is the only way to get rid of them without resorting to strong poisons. I am even adding my copper fungicide to the mix in order to kill to birds with one stone and it seems to be working just as well as when applied alone. I only had to spray for stink bugs and leaf footed bugs twice way back in the early summer but the mix is the most effective thing I have found to fight back spider mites so I have used it three times for them. I haven't seen a stink bug in months and I'm not afraid to eat my tomatoes because of the mild toxicity of the spray.

Bill

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by nhardy

Got wrens visiting this week. I cleaned up a small bird bath for them to stay near my tomatoes. Saw they got into my tomato coop looking around for a snack. Hoping they help themselves to as many stink bugs are they like before they leave.

Wrens are awesome. Really underappreciated helpers.