jsc1429
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2016 8:17 pm

Looking to identify bug problem and how to fix

Hi everyone, I'm not sure if this is the correct thread, but it is the only "bug thread I could find. I am a beginning gardener and noticed these spots on a lot of the plants in the garden I have no idea what is causing it or how to get rid of the bugs any help or suggestions would be appreciated!
Attachments
146059415783161078.jpg

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Do you see any of these little black bugs?

Image

flea beetles would be my guess.

Here's something about organic control of flea beetles:
Flea Beetle Control

Remove garden trash and plow or roto-till under weeds to reduce overwintering sites.
Floating row covers are extremely effective when placed on seedlings and left in place until plants are old enough to tolerate beetle damage.
Place yellow sticky traps throughout garden rows every 15 to 30 feet to capture adults.
Beneficial nematodes applied to the soil will destroy the larval stage, reducing root feeding and helping to prevent the next generation of adults from emerging.
Diatomaceous earth can be dusted over plants to control the number of feeding adults.
If pest populations become intolerable, spot treat with botanical insecticides as a last resort.
Tip: Trap crops, such as mustard and radish, can be planted near garden areas to draw pests away.
https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-probl ... e-control/

Pay attention to the trap crop idea. I haven't had to deal with flea beetles, but trap crops have worked very well for me for some other pests (Japanese beetles, leaf miners). Diatomaceous earth is my go-to for all kinds of crawling pests including slugs and snails. Main drawback is that it has to be re-applied after rain and where I am we get a LOT of rain. Your DE will last a lot longer if you are somewhere with a dry summer!

jsc1429
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2016 8:17 pm

Great, thanks! I didnt see any at the time but I will take a closer look tomorrow and hopefully get rid of this problem!

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13962
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Has it been raining or humid lately? I don't see holes in the leaves from flea beetles. I do see spots and necrotic centers. It may be bacterial or fungal spots. I am leaning more toward bacterial.

Some bacterial spots start small and then the centers rot and fall out leaving holes that give the shot hole effect. You would also see the holes with flea beetles. Flea beetles usually do not cause the leaf edges to brown. With advanced disease progress the spots get bigger and can coalese into large necrotic areas. Flea beetles make holes but unless the holes get a secondary infections they don't get bigger. Fungal and bacterial diseases are more likely to leave a yellow halo around the lesion than an insect problem. The lesions are more angular than round so looking more like a disease not a pest.

Sometimes it is hard to diagnose diseases on different cucurbits because they look different depending on whether they are on squash, cucumbers, or melons.

https://www.grow-it-organically.com/grow ... mbers.html
https://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcollege/plantp ... -VG-10.pdf
https://www.plantvillage.org/en/topics/ ... ropagation



Return to “Organic Insect and Plant Disease Control”