Bug/Pest Identification....Help!

Hey Guys,
Ugh, I went out to check the garden this morning and was disappointed to see that something has just destroyed my okra. It was shocking because it seems likes this happened almost over night. Any and all help would be appreciated, at this rate I would probably wont have anything but stems left by tomorrow morning. Im hoping I can get a remedy from Home Depot tonight. I have a few hours before they close. Here is a picture of a damage followed by a picture of the "suspect":







I know it is hard to see, but thats about the best I can do for a picture. Those little brown bugs are all over my okra at the moment and they look like they are spreading to my corn. I prefer to be as organic and or natural as possible in dealing with any problems in my garden but this is happening so quickly I might have to resort to an alternative.

As always I appreciate your opinions and advice. Thanks a bunch

-StinkyFeetMendoza

I have seen that type of swiss cheese foliage with tortoise beetle damage. I have no idea about the wee black spots.

The black specks are artillery foliage. I think it is under control, there isnt any on any of my new growth. My peas are covered in those black specks and they don't look very appetizing. I don't think I want to eat artillery fungus. I think I'm just going to pull them up. They are covered in aphids also and they just don't look happy. Something is wrong with my tomatoes as well but that's not as urgent as my current problem with the okra. I'll create a thread for my tomatoes after I do some research. Ugh, this is not easy...

What can I do about tortoise beetles and is there anything I can do tonight? Are you sure that's what it is or are there any other possibilities?

-StinkyFeet

StinkyFeetMendoza wrote:
What can I do about tortoise beetles and is there anything I can do tonight? Are you sure that's what it is or are there any other possibilities?

-StinkyFeet

You are only sure of what the culprit is when you find it in the act. Go hunting and look up the bug, It's a pretty cool bug actually. just not in my garden.

It's definitely not tortoise beetles. At least not compared to google images. I have a picture of the culprit in the act. It is the third one down. I will post again. It is pretty small but it is almost center frame. Little brown bug, they are all over the place.

Flea Beetles maybe? I did a google search of brown flea beetles and I think thats what I have.

"Flea Beetles

These tiny black or brown bugs attack young peppers, eggplant and okra. They eat small holes in the leaves, usually early in the season, and if not controlled, can wipe out the foliage entirely, seriously injuring the plants. You can dust with wood ashes or spray with a garlic or hot pepper solution. Spraying with pyrethrum will also control flea beetles."

Im thinking it's the Asiatic garden beetle. What do y'all think? Here are some pictures I just took with a flash light. They are EVERYWHERE!!!!







Anyone got a remedy for the Asiatic Garden Beetle?

Bleck!
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/beetles/beetles-surface-feeders.aspx

http://drmcbug.com/pests.htm

nematodes
http://bugs.osu.edu/bugdoc/Shetlar/factsheet/turf/Asiaticgardenbeetle.htm

Ugh! This sounds so devastating! I feel so defeated! Here is another good article if you are interested!
http://myfolia.com/groups/48-pests-friends-and-bugs/topics/3546-asiatic-garden-beetles/posts

I LOVE myfolia! I'll read this tomorrow.

The brown bug doesn't look like a flea beetle to me and the damage is not typical of flea beetle damage. Flea beetles chew multiple tiny holes in leaves which look like the leaf was shot with bird shot. They don't chew big holes, particularly from the edge of the leaf. Definitely looks like it could be the Asiatic garden beetle, hard to control and even more destructive than flea beetles. Ugh. You could try spraying with spinosad (Entrust or Montery Garden Spray) which is supposed to be effective on them.

My neighbors all told me to use 7dust before i had the pest identified. Is there any reason 7dust won't work? I don't know anything about 7dust but I keep hearing it mentioned. I'd prefer not to use a chemical pesticide but these guys are eating my garden so fast. Im fretting the trip to the garden this morning.

Do you mean Sevin dust? It'll work but that is the last thing you should use. Sevin (carbaryl) is a highly toxic, broad-spectrum insecticide which will kill everything in your garden including pollinators, beneficial insects and earthworms.

Thats the stuff I meant, Ive never seen it written

dvelten wrote: You could try spraying with spinosad (Entrust or Montery Garden Spray) which is supposed to be effective on them.

I'm looking around for either Entrust or Monterey. Home Depot carries several Monterey products. I hate to be so needy but is there a specific one that you were thinking of("Monterey Once-a-year Insect Control", "Monterey Organic Garden Insect Spray", "Monterey 3 in 1 Insect Spray"? I have read all the labels and the once a year is the only one that mentions "leaf beetles". If anyone has used any of these products with success, please let me know. Thanks

-StinkyFeetMendoza

The label on mine says Monterey Garden Insect Spray. It is also labelled organic and the only ingredient is spinosad. So I think the "Monterey Organic Garden Insect Spray" is probably what you want.

I found it at the feed store. Im headed there now. I'll keep yall posted on the results. I plan to follow the instructions exactly. Im hoping they tell me what time of day to use it for optimal effect and minimal collateral damage. I'd be more than happy to go out at night and spray those little suckers in the act.

-StinkyFeetMendoza

OK, so here are pictures of the bok choy leaves. When I noticed the damage (they appeared literally overnight) I harvested most of the leaves. This is what's left.





In this one you can how the entire leaves have been eaten off the front plant.



And btw, this is in the tomato bed. I haven't seen any of this kind of damage on the tomatoes though.

On another note, I planted two different varieties of bok choy from two different companies. One of them has little prickly things on the leaves, almost feels like a zucchini or squash leaf or flower. Is that normal? I've only ever seen smooth leafed bok choy.

Good luck, they will be hard to control. Don't expect the instant knock-down you would get with Sevin, but at least you won't be poisoning yourself and the environment and killing everything in sight.

Spinosad is a stomach poison so bugs have to ingest it, which should be no problem with these guys. It is safe for pollinators and beneficial insects after it dries on the leaf, so don't spray while pollinators are flying. It works by disrupting acetylcholine in neurons so they keep firing, causing havoc. Spray it in the evening after pollinators are gone and before the bugs come out to dine. During the hot day they are down in the soil around the plant.

Jazzycat! I feel your pain! Thanks for the tips dvelton. I will keep y'all posted on how my treatment goes. I know the guy who works at the feed store. He knows Im trying to go organic and he knew of Monterey and Spinosad off the bat. I showed him pictures of all of my tomato plants. Two are constantly wilted in appearance and one is putting out fruit with black bottoms. He sold me "Hi-Yield Captain 50W Fungicide" for the wilt and "Yield Booster" for the black bottoms on my tomatoes. He told me it wasnt organic. I bought it just bc I was there. Are these products ok with you guy?

Ok! So I applied the Monterey Garden Spray on Friday evening. The store only had the bottle with the spray nozzle on it that measures it for you as it sprays. I checked the garden this morning and there are still plenty of beetles out there. There is one new thing going on, The leaves now have little brown spots on them. I'm hoping these spots are from where a beetle has died. The instructions say to spray whenever I see pests(to paraphrase) but it also says to only do 6 treatments per season on okra. Anyone have any tips on how often to reapply spinosad? Also anyone have an opinion of spray nozzle bottles vs concentrate?

I thought of two other questions after I posted:

Is there any kind of companion crop I can plant such as marigolds or something? How about trap plants so I don't have to spray my entire garden? It's my opinion these bugs started on my radishes, but because I don't really care about my radishes it didn't really bother me. I have some empty space and I figured I could plant some radishes and then just spray them with spinosad instead of everything. I could also use the extra spaces for marigolds or anything that will run off the assiatic garden beetle, if y'all know of anything that will work.

-StinkyFeetMendoza

kalolin clay (suround)
Maybe investigating this product might help.
I've used it, and will continue this season given the opportunity to put some time into my garden this year

I warned you not to expect an immediate knock-down. Spinosad is labelled to limit applications to minimize the chance of immunity developing. For most insects, applications are limited to 6 times per season, about 6 days apart. What you should do is alternate spinosad with applications of a pyrethrin-based insecticide every 6 days. I am using Espoma Organic Earth-Tone Insect Control, which is a blend of 1% pyrethrin with 85% canola oil, and alternating it with spinosad to control flea beetles on my brassicas. Only a few flea beetles are left, but I have to deal with the fact my neighbors in the community garden are thoughtless and leave their weed-infested plots as a sanctuary and incubator for the flea beetles.

Long-term, you have to deal with the fact these pests are in your garden and are coming back next year. They are related to Japanese beetles and will winter over in the soil in your garden and any turf near the garden as grubs that feed on the roots. Milky spore disease and beneficial nematodes would be effective but no one sells these specific for Asiatic Garden Beetle because they are less of a turf threat than Japanese beetles. But at least you know who the enemy is and can Google for information on control.

Can anyone ID this critter? I've seen them in the past, but they usually move on. This season, it seems they are in love with my tomato plants.

Not sure... did you try bugguide.net? Looks like an assassin bug of some sort. Looks like it may be going after a leaf miner in your photo.