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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Hand picking pests -> disposal

As a part of organic pest management, I often simply hand pick them off the plants.

One method I’ve mentioned in the past is to hood entire branch or bent over stalk infested with Japanese beetles or armyworms/tent caterpillars with a large plastic bag, then shake vigorously or simply clip off the stalk/branch. (Then tie closed and thoroughly stomp on the bag).

For regular use, I used to carry an open pint tub of soapy water and drop them in.

More Recently, I’ve been borrowing an idea from a Japanese blogger (fukuberry.com) and putting them in a conveniently sized repurposed beverage bottle with cap— this means I can easily carry one around or leave them in strategic spots around the garden.

I started out preloading the bottles with a small amount of soapy water to kill them, but have modified that to using (home made) organic insecticidal soap for the bugs and Epsom salt and water solution for the slugs. This way, I can easily rinse the bottle of dead pests out before it gets too yucky inside and pour them out anywhere in the garden to go back to be part of the soil. :mrgreen:

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I try to get up early to water the plants and go snail and slug hunting. I used to carry a zip bag with salt in it, but now I just smash and stomp on them. Sometimes the snails are over four inches long and I have to use my metal fan spray or get my hoe mattock to break the shells.

I look under leaves while I am watering and if I see white flies I blast them off with a jet of water. Some plants I don't even look. Peppers, hibiscus, and gardenia are favorites of the white flies so I automatically hit the undersides of the leaves with water. If I see a lot of ants around the plants, I put out ant bait. I put out ant bait whenever there is a lot of new growth.

I have a spray bottle with alcohol and I will use that on some sucking pests under leaves. I don't have to use it often. My garden patrol takes care of most of the things like beetles, flies, mosquitoes, and caterpillars. The cattle egret usually swoops down and looks for anoles and bugs after I mow. They are so big and silent. I have a lot of cardinals, spotted neck doves, finches, once in a while a mejiro comes around, and bulbuls of course. These will eat slugs after I kill them, but most eat fruit and seeds. They are especially fond of papaya, peppers, mango and the doves will forage in my nursery pots especially for pepper seeds. The bulbuls will eat the orchid flowers and sometimes the leaves as well. They are just rats with wings.

I have a few major pests that I don't really get ahead of. Snails and slugs. Scale on bay leaves. Peach scale on roses, hibiscus, peppers, papayas and probably some other things. It is very hard to kill and is resistant to even the systemics. I usually treat that with cutting the plants and a stiff brush with soapy water. Erineum mites are only controlled with systemics in April, but they come back every year. Thrips, I live with them and only treat the orchids if I want to show them. Broad and spider mites become a problem in early summer. Heavy rain eventually solves the problem, but all I can do is usually cut the plants back and treat them every week with sulfur. It isn't always enough.

I had some lobate scale on the hibiscus and did not know what it was until we had a mini class on this new pest. It is also resistant to most pesticides and I had to treat my plant by cutting it back to the ground and disposing of the branches in the trash. Luckily, that did the trick. So far, they have not returned.

The only other pests I get are citrus scale when the citrus trees put out new leaves. It is a minor problem and I don't have them every year. Controlling the ants, pruning, and blasting them off with water is usually enough.

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TomatoNut95
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Location: Texas Zone 8

Picking off and stomping is my method as well. My biggest pest problems will be grasshoppers or worms like cabbage worms or horn worms. As soon as I notice missing foliage and piles of 'signs' I immediately search the plant thoroughly until I find the culprit, pull him off and bye-bye worm. :twisted: For major infestations of other stuff such as aphids or flea beetles, I spray off with the water hose or use insecticidal soap.

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

Feed them to the chickens! :D :D

Slugs and Japanese beetle grubs are big treats for the chickens. Japanese beetle adults don't hold still long enough, but if they were stomped or drowned, the chickens would probably eat them, though I haven't really tried that. Haven't had the tent caterpillars in my yard (though they are in the neighborhood), but that would probably be a big chicken treat also.

One thing I have noticed is that we used to have little ant hills of teeny tiny ants all over the yard. Now that we have chickens free ranging the back yard for several hours a day, no more ant hills. It seems like we had fewer other bugs too, including stink bugs, but I don't know if that can all be attributed to the chickens.

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TomatoNut95
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Location: Texas Zone 8

I don't have chickens anymore, I rehomed them.

Anyway, I found my first cabbage worm this morning on one of my cauliflower plants. I picked him off and put him on a disturbed any bed. :twisted: Was that too cruel? :lol:

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

Why did you "rehome" your chickens? We love our chickie ladies, who all have names and are sort of pets that lay eggs...

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TomatoNut95
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Location: Texas Zone 8

I loved my feather babies to, and had names for them but they were proving to be more trouble than I could handle. But don't worry, the person I gave them to loves them just as much as I did, and he mad more time to devote to them. Believe me, I miss them. I cried when I got rid of them, but I've so much else to occupy my mind.



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