Looks like a bad year for stink bugs. - Page 3

gorbelly · July 22, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

That is an encouraging thought, that an invasive species will eventually foster a new predator population to control them.

They had been studying the wasps in quarantined labs for possible release into the wild, but they apparently came over on their own the way the stinkbugs did--probably hitching a ride in parasitized stinkbug eggs. So the BMS had their heyday of relatively uncontested proliferation, but that appears to be coming to an end.

b54red · July 22, 2016

They have gotten worse down here the last few years.

Bill

b54red · July 24, 2016

I have a real problem this year with spider mites. I used my stinkbug spray last time and thought I had gotten rid of them. They're back! A few showers followed by dry weather has them repopulating all my new growth and even attacking my new seedlings that have only been out a little while. The speed with which they are advancing is frightening. I started spraying this morning but couldn't get finished so I will try finishing in the blazing sun despite the danger of leaf burn. If I don't slow them down now I won't have to worry with tomatoes for much longer this year.

I think I will even go so far as to spray again in a week or so just to get the new growth covered before they can get started on it again. The plants were really starting to recover from the last wave of them and looking good again and pow. At least I haven't seen a stinkbug or leaf footed bug since my last spraying of the mix. I was hoping that a single good treatment would work this year like it did last year on the spider mites but it looks like this may be a protracted conflict.

Bill

gorbelly · July 25, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

They have gotten worse down here the last few years.

Bill

Yeah, I would expect that. If its native predator is in the wild, it will take some time to spread, and in the meantime, the problem will likely get worse before it gets better.

kath · July 22, 2016

Also in SE PA and just started finding stink bug marks (and one bug) on tomatoes- mostly the ones on the outsides of cages. It doesn't seem to be the brown marmorated stink bugs that affect my tomatoes; the only ones I've ever caught on fruits were much smaller brownish and greenish varieties.

What kinds of stink bugs do you all find?

kath

Dewayne mater · July 26, 2016

Bill - has it been dry, hot and sunny? Those conditions really favor spider mite proliferation. I know of nothing to be done spray wise, other than what you are doing. I have found that shade cloth, keeping the plants watered seems to help. They have a short reproduction cycle of less than a week, so spraying has to happen often.

There is a predatory mite that is their enemy. I said I was going that way this year, but, with mites, I think you have to be on the front end of an infestation and use to control a population vs. OMG these things are everywhere what am I going to do. That's what seems to happen to me!

Good info: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html

Dewayne

b54red · July 26, 2016

Dewayne, this has been a very hot season. April and May were nice but wow June and July have been very hot with long dry spells in between a few thunderstorms with a lot of wind but little rain. The nights have been very hot to go along with scorching days. I was hoping for a bit of a break but it hasn't happened yet. The one good thing about this weather is that some of the diseases have been lighter than usual in particular gray mold. Of course with spider mites destroying so much of my foliage who can tell.

Bill

Starlight · July 28, 2016

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?

b54red · July 29, 2016

Quote:

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 · July 29, 2016

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 · July 30, 2016

Quote:

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 · July 30, 2016

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

Starlight · July 30, 2016

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 · July 30, 2016

Quote:

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 · August 1, 2016

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.

July 30, 2016	#13
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	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. Last edited by Starlight; July 30, 2016 at 10:34 AM. Reason: corrections

July 22, 2016	#2
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	They have gotten worse down here the last few years. Bill

July 24, 2016	#3
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I have a real problem this year with spider mites. I used my stinkbug spray last time and thought I had gotten rid of them. They're back! A few showers followed by dry weather has them repopulating all my new growth and even attacking my new seedlings that have only been out a little while. The speed with which they are advancing is frightening. I started spraying this morning but couldn't get finished so I will try finishing in the blazing sun despite the danger of leaf burn. If I don't slow them down now I won't have to worry with tomatoes for much longer this year. I think I will even go so far as to spray again in a week or so just to get the new growth covered before they can get started on it again. The plants were really starting to recover from the last wave of them and looking good again and pow. At least I haven't seen a stinkbug or leaf footed bug since my last spraying of the mix. I was hoping that a single good treatment would work this year like it did last year on the spider mites but it looks like this may be a protracted conflict. Bill

July 22, 2016	#5
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	Also in SE PA and just started finding stink bug marks (and one bug) on tomatoes- mostly the ones on the outsides of cages. It doesn't seem to be the brown marmorated stink bugs that affect my tomatoes; the only ones I've ever caught on fruits were much smaller brownish and greenish varieties. What kinds of stink bugs do you all find? kath

July 26, 2016	#6
Dewayne mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 1,212	Bill - has it been dry, hot and sunny? Those conditions really favor spider mite proliferation. I know of nothing to be done spray wise, other than what you are doing. I have found that shade cloth, keeping the plants watered seems to help. They have a short reproduction cycle of less than a week, so spraying has to happen often. There is a predatory mite that is their enemy. I said I was going that way this year, but, with mites, I think you have to be on the front end of an infestation and use to control a population vs. OMG these things are everywhere what am I going to do. That's what seems to happen to me! Good info: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html Dewayne

July 28, 2016	#8
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	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?

July 29, 2016	#10
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	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?

July 30, 2016	#12
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I have this fantasy about an air-conditioned tent on wheels that I can roll along with me as I garden.

August 1, 2016	#15
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	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.