Pest Alerts!

[Tig]

I thought it could be of some use if we had a thread to alert each other to 'pest' problems, as they must pose a problem for us all throughout the growing season

So far this past few weeks I have had to deal with

Onion root fly attack - onions had to be lifted and cleaned of maggots and pupae.

Lily beetles - I wage an ongoing war against the red devils! Found another one today. But also, now is a good time to check for damage from the grubs munching their way through your lilies. They can be found on the undersides of the leaves, look like black or brown blobs of bird poo, and will have stripped the flesh off the leaf. Remove and squash or drown!

Blackfly on broad beans is also a problem, nip out the soft growing tips which they prefer to infest, use your fingers if you are not sqeamish to squish any others.

Greenfly on rose buds, some as above squish, or spray with systemic insecticide

Cabbage white caterpillars on brassicas (they seem to love purple sprouting broccoli and attack that before moving on to anything else!) Daily checks and pick off and squash large ones, use fingers to squash smaller hatchings and eggs!

Slugs and snails - so many choices to try and keep the numbers down, but it is an ongoing war! i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/angry.gif

Please add any pests you spot so we can all be vigilant!

x Tig

[oldmoleskins]

How very timely... this morning, Richard, the Acting Postman, has brought me a print-out of info on Rosemary Beetle, a relative newcomer which he found on his lavender:

rhs.org.uk/learning/research/projects/rosemary_beetle

It's a pretty little critter, green with purple stripes - but bad news for herbs.

RHS are keen to plot 'incidences', so keep a look-out.

OM

[4pygmies]

Beware the Aparagus Beetles, my friends......'od rot their tiny little souls.......they have been very busy in my pride and joy despite me doing my best to thwart them - the crop has been much reduced because of them...sob......
I don't use chemicals so I have been keeping the bed clean and hoeing gently around the emerging shoots as advised in my organic gardening book - 'How to deal with obnoxious, vandalous beetles' section...but it hasn't really worked.....apparently the theory is they can't lay eggs if the soil is disturbed...they have ruined the spears though...

[Tig]

That's one I didn't know about 4P I found this on the RHS site ..

www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0502/asparagus_beetle.asp

and I'm off to check on mine.

Found these eggs this morning (lovely neat pattern ), on the Cotynus coggygria ..



I have no idea what has laid them, but I'm sure whatever it is will devour the leaves. However, as it could be a butterfly or moth which is struggling to find a host I will leave them to hatch and see if I can identify the caterpillars (assuming that they do hatch into caterpillars!) and then decide what to do, will just need to be vigilant. If anyone has any idea what has deposited them I'd love to know!

x Tig

[Chuckles]

I've had Lily Beetle, black fly on some Iris, greenfly on roses seems to be an everyday job atm. Not seen so many snails but it is the time when they will be laying thier eggs. I found one today half submerged in a big pot laying it's eggs, it won't be laying anymore ;D

Those rosemary beetles are real pretty OM, what a shame they are such a pest.

No idea what those eggs are Tig, they look like little eye balls don't they ;D Good idea to find out what they are before despatching them, they could be a friend.

Oh dear 4P not good re the Asparagus, the RHS say burn old stems at the end of the year to destroy overwintering beetles but I'm not sure if they mean burn them on the ground or cut and burn

[Jasmine]

Haven't seen one lily beetle this year - that'll be tempting fate now and my lilies will disappear overnight.
Lots and lots of green and black fly though and lots of slugs and snails.
...and plenty of nasty biting things out now like horse flies (field of them next door - horses - not flies - don't know if that encourages them ;D)

[Chuckles]

Found my first Vine Weevil larvae today while tidying up the tops of some Lily pots I'll have to get some Provado.

I remember the days when I used to go around at night with a torch and T bag squeazer looking for the adults, crunch crunch crunch ;D Thankfully I don't get many these days but am always on the lookout.

[torontotrini]

I'm on the apprehensive side as far as all pests, especially the lily beatle, for this coming season. We have had a very mild winter with hardly any snow, and the March temperatures have been well above the normal levels; eg. we're looking at a high of 12C today and continuing around the mid teens all week if the forecast is correct. I think I'm going to buy a shotgun for the little beasties that I expect will be swarming all over my garden.

[snowowl]

Mar 15, 2010 12:53:59 GMT Chuckles said:

Found my first Vine Weevil larvae today while tidying up the tops of some Lily pots I'll have to get some Provado.

I remember the days when I used to go around at night with a torch and T bag squeazer looking for the adults, crunch crunch crunch ;D Thankfully I don't get many these days but am always on the lookout.

I hate the little Bug....s thanks for the reminder Chuckles.I never know what an adult looks like i get so many differant size black beetles that im scared of killing a good guy.

[Ladygardener]

Thanks for the reminder, I'll get out the provado and do all the pots Chuckles.

[Dutchy]

I checked my Rhubarb and found a cluster of white worms app 1 cm long and less than 1/2 mm in width with some black markings that were in the soil munching at the roots of my Rhubarb.
Not a clue as to what they are but the root is all rotten now
I opened things up trying to flatten the bugs and hope the Robin discovers the ones I missed now it lies bare.
Any tips?

[Barbara]

I've looked online Dutch, and I cant find anything , did they have legs, because, I think you can get white centipedes.

[Tig]

Could these be the culprits Dutchy?

www.gardeningknowhow.com/problems/root-eating-insects-identifying-vegetable-root-maggots-and-root-maggot-control.htm

Tig

[Dutchy]

Had a look and no to either.
They are much more like minute caterpillar but no visible legs. That might of course be my eyesight but still.
I have gone through my book and so far have come up empty handed.
Not centipede or their larvae as those look different.

[Chuckles]

Mar 15, 2010 13:54:43 GMT snowowl said:

I hate the little Bug....s thanks for the reminder Chuckles.I never know what an adult looks like i get so many differant size black beetles that im scared of killing a good guy.

Hope this helps you sort the bad guys from the good guys Snowy

www.letsgogardening.co.uk/Information/VineWeevil.htm

[Tig]

Just looked back and it was March last year, so the red devils are a bit later getting gnawing this season!

gardenworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=chat&action=display&thread=7335

I've despatched 7 of the red devils this morning, must have missed one because I always seem to find them in pairs, and a couple were 'at it!!' Some were on lilies others on fritillarias

Look how much it had munched already!



x Tig

[Barbara]

OOOOh not this early up here pleeeeeeeease

[Tig]

Caught three more this aft Babara !!!

[Ladygardener]

Goodness me Tig I really do hope they leave me alone this year after eating all my Lillies last year. Must get out when I go home from work and have a look around.

[Dutchy]

Checked my Fritilary but none of the red monsters about yet. pfwiew

[Ruthie]

I found some of the b*st*rds on my Frittilaries yesterday They had even eaten holes in the flowers before I noticed them. Will have to keep an eagle eye out from now on.

[Ladygardener]

I share your sentiments Ruthie, we need to be really vigilant from now on in.

[Dutchy]

Crushed an adult Vine weevil today as it was stroling along my pots

[Juliet]

I found a lily beetle last week - I have no lilies, it was eating my daffodils!

Also found my first vine weevil larvae of the year this week

[Dutchy]

Found Lilly beetle eggs on a hidden bit of Regal Lilly.
I scrambled them.
This means the eggs are now out there too

[Tig]

Not if you catch 'em and squish 'em before they get 'at it'! I seem to have done quite a decent extermination job, I haven't seen anymore yet, so am assuming those that I splattered were over-wintering in the soil near their favourite foods!

I daren't turf my pots out yet Juliet, I'm sure there will be some dreaded vine weevil grubs in them. I shall just water with Provardo next month I think

[Ladygardener]

I found some grubs in a pot last week. I had to throw out an overwintering pelagonium.

[prodigal gardener]

Ive just chucked my torbay dazzler, and everything else from the barrel straight in the wheely bin - vine weevil - little b@st*rds Im so cheesed now. I was so pleased with that pot last year and was really looking forward to seeing it develop into a bigger better display this year

[torontotrini]

Looks like my worst fears are being realized about pests this season and the very mild winter we had. The lilly beetles are off and running. Yesterday afternoon I picked off 17 of the little bas**rds off a small patch of lillies that are just about 4 inches high. SEVENTEEN! And those weren't the first ones I've picked off so far this season. My poor frits and lillies.

[snowowl]

Well i have had a good splatering day today.
I moved some wood at the side of a fence and there was a pile of snails all on top of each other.
So i got a brick and splatered them all YUK what a mess some had realy hard shells to.
They wont be munching on my Hostas.