Bagrada bug

Found these guys today on my kale:


http://cisr.ucr.edu/bagrada_bug.html

Anybody know anything about dealing with them? There are lots but seem to be just on the few kale plants I have. Kale seems to be a trap plant for me as it seems to attract bugs.

Try bugguide.net

I jsut pulled all my kale. I had killed a bunch of these in alcohol but there wre hundreds. Don't see them anywhere else.

It is 108 right now!!!

You are not the only one so plagued. Good luck!
http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2012/07/11/bad-bad-bagrada-bug/

Yeah! Me too!

I found them in my corn about a week before you posted. They are supposed to like cole crops, yet they haven't really attacked mine. And my kale and coles are all in one box! I have some, not hundreds.

Besides knowing they are a recent import from Africa, I haven't found any organic solutions. Have you?


What kind of kale do you grow? I have both Italian and Portuguese.

Ava

Found them on my corn today

I hadn't seen any since I destroyed my kale almost 2 months ago. And I have harvested a batch of corn in the mean time.

Thank you, Lindacol, for the information on bagrada bugs. We've not seen them this far north.....yet. My only idea for control would be tuille fabric covers for the cole crops, to keep them out of the crops. Nonna

I've got these little buggers now too! Did you ever figure out how to get rid of them? They're hard to catch! and they're always "making more" if you know what I mean? they're ruining my little kale plants!! help!

southern gardener wrote:I've got these little buggers now too! Did you ever figure out how to get rid of them? They're hard to catch! and they're always "making more" if you know what I mean? they're ruining my little kale plants!! help!

On the corn several things seemed to help. I tried spraying with a soap/oil/water spray but it only worked if I got it on the bugs. I liberally dusted the corn with DE especially down in the leaf/stalk junction where they seemed to scurry to(but tried to avoid the silks). I think that cut the numbers. They are hard to catch but easy to flick/knock off the leaves into a container of rubbing alcohol.
I have just harvested the corn and now with that bed empty (this is my problem bed) I tried to remix the MM and added more compost, worm castings & watered the bed then covered in plastic to try solarizing it with these upcoming very hot days we are supposed to have. Hope this will kill off the eggs and any remaining bugs.

Next step might be to try some type of pyrethrin though I would like to stay close to organic. Here is some more info:

http://cals.arizona.edu/crops/vegetables/advisories/docs/SWAS_BagradaBug2010VEGIPM15.pdf

Lindacol wrote:...Next step might be to try some type of pyrethrin though I would like to stay close to organic...

DH likes to hike, and up here we have a BAD tick problem (we know several people with Lyme Disease & take ticks seriously), so he douses his hiking clothes with the stuff BUT ever since we read about pyrethrin toxicity in cats he's really careful to take his hiking clothes off in the garage so as not to put our cats at risk. The permethrin treatment lasts several washes so when the clothes get washed, they go back in the garage.

I knew about not using it around honeybees but had no idea it could be toxic to the cats, especially the synthetic kind like what we use as tick repellent.

I wonder: do chrysanthemums have any kind of marigold-like repellent properties in themselves?

Terrific... I've seen just a few of these on my long beans and okra... I guess I can expect more next year???

I am in Pasadena, Ca and I found one adult Bagrada bug hanging around my vegetable nylon fencing, which I trapped to identify it. But earlier while cleaning up my alyssum I found what were some very quick small red bugs, which I later found out they were the nymphs of the Bagrada bug. These are tiny "ladybug" size bugs! The pictures posted mislead me. I found this website which has some very good information and pictures of various stages of this bug. The info has been collected from the eastern and southern sections of Africa, where these little bugs originated.

http://www.infonet-biovision.org/default/ct/103/pests

I also read here,

http://www.mastergardenerssandiego.org/newsletter/article.php?ID=32

that birds don't want to eat this bug. I'm tempted to just plant garlics in my 104 squares because it appears they don't like strong smelling plants, yet next to my alyssum I had one onion and one parsley squares. For those who have encountered this bug, have you been able to manage or get rid of this bug?

I had some of these during the summer on my perennials. Thought they were cute but didn't know what they were. Didn't see them on my veggies. But the other day I wiped off a broccoli leaf that had eggs on it that looked just like those in Rose's links.

CC

i just read in our local paper, where local organic farmers have lost almost all of their cabbage family crops to this pest. My husband said he saw literally hundreds of thousands of them eating wild mustard while he was hiking the other day. Apparently, they've landed in So. Calif and it's a real problem

We have these in Orange County too. This is the information on our Master Gardener website:

Damage to plants occurs at germination, when the bugs deform the leaves, and ultimately, the heads of cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and the like.
On warm sunny days, check the underside of plant leaves the base of the stems and cracks in the soil. The bugs are especially prevalent in the fall, which coincides with the planting of Cole crops.
To control the bagrada bugs, protect seedlings of head-forming Cole crops. On leafy green, the bugs can be treated with soapy water. Organic pesticides include Pyganic (pyrethrum) good for adults and nymphs, azadirachtin or insecticidal soap for nymphs. For serious infestations, insecticides containing pyrethroids (for first signs of bagrada bugs) and neonicotinoids (e.g. dinotefuran) for later stage problems.

We have these in Orange County too. This is the information on our Master Gardener website:

Damage to plants occurs at germination, when the bugs deform the leaves, and ultimately, the heads of cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and the like.
On warm sunny days, check the underside of plant leaves the base of the stems and cracks in the soil. The bugs are especially prevalent in the fall, which coincides with the planting of Cole crops.
To control the bagrada bugs, protect seedlings of head-forming Cole crops. On leafy green, the bugs can be treated with soapy water. Organic pesticides include Pyganic (pyrethrum) good for adults and nymphs, azadirachtin or insecticidal soap for nymphs. For serious infestations, insecticides containing pyrethroids (for first signs of bagrada bugs) and neonicotinoids (e.g. dinotefuran) for later stage problems.

ooohhhh...maybe that's what's happening to my broccoil, cabbages, pak choi & collards. They are so stripped and my beer slug traps aren't catching anything anymore. My bagrada's must be imports. Lots of people drive here from all over the country every spring, summer and fall. We get it all.

CC

They have reached north to Fresno County and a few other Counties.

http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=15432