Charlie MV
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Preparing for next year

This year had corn ear worms.I've read here that neam oil works to fend them off but I've found it useless. How can I deal organically with ear worms?

We have cucumber worms. Same question.

Vine borers are killing my squash. Same question.

We have a something eating an occasional pole bean. Suggestions?

Nematodes have destroyed all the tomatoes I didn't buy at Lowes. The Lowes tomatoes are nematode resistant. The 15 plants are doing fine. Should I avoid buying my tomatoes at the organic gardening place? I've read about beneficial nematodes but the best price I've found is $54. I didn't spend that on the plants. Will these magic nematodes hang around till next year and the next?

I'm getting leery of [some] organic methods. I've had great success with feeding the soil with compost and manures but the organic pest control options seem to leave a lot to be desired. I tried some garlic stuff for mosquito control that said it was organic. Well I guess our mosquitoes like it spicy because they own our yard.
They weren't this thick on the coast.

I'm about to give in to Sevin dust. Please help me keep my finger off the trigger.

I'd be grateful for any suggestions but especially grateful for specific solutions with instructions that assume I know nothing because that's all too often the case.

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Zofiava
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Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:11 am
Location: Pittsburgh

I don't know enough about the pest control for your plants, but what about bats for the mosquitos? I would allow a year for the bats to find and roost in any bat house you put up, but after that I would think you would have a drastic reduction in your mosquito population.

Where are the mosquitos breeding?

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freedhardwoods
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Joined: Sun May 17, 2009 9:32 pm
Location: Southwest IN

I agree that if an organic pest control method will work you should use it but I will not let pests destroy my food. Given the conditions you have stated, I would have hit them with Sevin already. I don''t really look too closely at organic pest control myself because of the problems you are having. 8)

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Earl K
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Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 9:44 pm
Location: Melbourne ,Fl.

I myself had cuke worms and they ruined all my cukes.Then they got onto my zucchini,Which I havent even got to eat one yet due to ends rotting.Now I have two zukes coming and will not let something get to them.Just a light dust of 7 cause I want grilled zucchini.

Gardener Don
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Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2007 10:05 am
Location: Southern Illinois, zone 5b

Sorry about your bugs, but join the crowd. Sevin works, I don't like it either, but it works and I have vegetables. Occasionally, I have good luck with smashing hot peppers, steeping them in hot water, straining the juice and spraying the plants. However, and there is always a however in life, when it comes down to the cukes and zukes, if I did not use Sevin, I would not have any veggies! Good luck on your garden.

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applestar
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

As soon as you said corn ear worms, a bell went off in my head about an article I read. I did a quick search and this link has the best reference: https://www.entomology.wisc.edu/mbcn/kyf104.html

Essentially, you use a pheromone trap to detect when the adult moth start visiting your crop, then release trichogramma wasps. If I remember correctly -- I checked them out out of curiosity after reading that article -- places that sell them usually offer multiple shipments designed for maximum effectiveness.

In my garden, I've had trichogramma hatch out of a cabbage white butterfly caterpillar and a cabbage looper caterpillar. (My kids and I catch them and raise them for science projects).

I'll try to remember the organic remedies for the other problems you mentioned. :wink:

Zofiava's suggestion about putting up bat houses to promote bats in your garden merits a serious consideration. In addition to your mosquito problem, many moths are nocturnal and bats would definitely provide night patrol 8)

Charlie MV
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Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 11:48 pm

I am investigating bat houses. I thought I'd get a resounding NO from my wife and MIL but neither seem to be overse to bats. It may be a non starter though because nof us know of a creek or pond within a quarter mile of the house. The "bat" sight says nearby water is a must for courting bats. Would they drink from my rain barrels? I could leave the lids off if the bats gobble down enough moskweeetos. Thank you Zofiava.

Applestar, we plant two batches of corn about 3 weeks apart to make harvest easier. Remember it's about 100 degrees in SC for harvest time. Just not worth dying over. I've noticed the early batch has more worms. By the time we harvest the late batch, our corn patch literally is humming with wasps. We see noticably fewer ear worms on the late batch. What plants do these wasps like. I could try attracting them earlier.



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