More insects

boffer wrote:

It's a good thing you're old enough to have become patient, understanding, tolerant, accepting, sympathetic, tranquil, and philosophical towards those with whom you disagree.

right?:

...and this is Al's wife

I got 2 PMs asking what was funny here. Left click on the word 'Right?'

Hi everyone, after looking at the garden boxes at night and only seeing a few cut worms mostly small early stage young worms I think we have turned the corner on this cut worm crises. After everyone actively sprayed their garden boxes plus the night picking raids on the cut worms we are I think, in control. Sheila's and my garden box have a worm tube and the spraying hasn't affected the worms as for as I can tell, the food keeps going down and they are visible when the food is low. Also the bug zapper arrived Tuesday and was put into action that night zapping away and really electrocuting some things for 10 seconds or more. All I really want to get is the little brown moth that lays the eggs that turn into cut worms. We run it at night but I am wondering if running it 24/7 would be of any benefit ? Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Al

As to turning the corner of the current worm infestation, Congrats! Any benefit to running a bug zapper during the day?... I would say your power company would benefit the most.

Do bug zappers kill beneficial insects?

My only suggestion would be to give each "treatment" time to take effect, before trying the next one (or adding an additional one)..... if your a minimalist with yr plants.

As tempting as it was to go to "the next level", some times you just have to 'let the dust settle" and measure the effect/impact, before "taking it up a notch".

However, if your a "whatever it takes" person ...ignore the above ...there is a lot of satisfaction in "nuking the critters into oblivion"....LOL

Megan wrote:Do bug zappers kill beneficial insects?

yes an indiscriminate killer.

Thanks. Our backyard is notorious for mosquitoes, and I am a mosquito magnet. Must think about this for next year.....

Bats are great for getting rid of skeeteers!

Have not seen any bats around here. Haven't exactly gone looking, either, though.

Wish I had more bats around!

acara wrote:..there is a lot of satisfaction in "nuking the critters into oblivion"....LOL

acara wrote:

Seven Dust works .... on insects, pets, animals, people, aliens .... so I obviously try to use that under dire circumstances.

sorry---I am just now getting around to reading this Topic and some of it is just Funny.

oh yeah .... Seven Dust works on early/mild infestations of aliens too (fine print on the label says "apply at the first sign of crop circles" ........ but most people dont read down that far).


However, if you let it get out of hand, you have a full-fledged alien invasion in your garden, and gotta use one of these ....

camprn wrote:Bats are great for getting rid of skeeteers!

You can find anything on the 'net, but this site doesn't think much of bats, purple martins, or bug zappers for mosquito control.

http://www.mosquito.org/mosquito-information/faq.aspx#18

Basically it said that bats prefer moths, but eat a few mosquitoes and will eat more if nothing else is available. Purple martins eat very few mosquitoes because they fly at different heights, but they eat lots of bees and other insects. Bug zappers kill far more beneficial insects than harmful ones, and they kill few mosquitoes because skeeters prefer buzzing people and animals over zappers.

My parents kept a large bug zapper on their carport and the tray was always full of all types of insects, and it even killed a bird once. (I think they now come with bars to prevent birds from flying into them.) Theirs never seemed to reduce the insect population but my Mom got some sort of personal satisfaction from seeing moths fry. (The bird that died would probably have eaten as many insects as the zapper killed.)

But I'm all for encouraging bats. They do eat moths, and they need all the help they can get.

Yeah ... like bats .... but don't like rabies.

While they aren't as significant of a vector as docs/cats/racoons down here (bats are #1 for the last 10 years Nationally though) ....it's still enough to make me consider another form of pest control ...... especially when I'm out gardening the same time they are typically active.

I don't think our Big Zapper will be getting any bats in our garden site, but it sure is getting some BIG moths during the night! In the mornings we're finding the remains on the ground below, but now the birds have discovered this great smörgåsbord and are loving it! The good news is that those same birds seem to be finding the worms during the day IN the garden boxes. From our house (right next door to the garden site) I've been able to watch several birds as they've hopped in and out of the boxes, ducking under the large cabbage leaves, then coming out with wiggly things in their beaks! YAY

Any birds who eat cabbage worms are my friend! I'll even look the other way while they pick off a few earthworms, too, if only they'll do the same to the blasted cuke and squash bugs. That draw from the zapper sounds fantastic.

I was really amazed at how quickly the shelter of the plants drew birds to our yard. Butterflies, and bees too. Someone once saw a hummingbird, which I've never seen around here. The neighborhood stray cats stayed around due to the catnip I grew in pots in/around the beds. (We have a rat problem in the area, and our cats are indoor-only).

Not sure what else may have shown up (I was hoping a toad might adopt us! No such luck.) But really amazing. We became very popular with the birds, especially once they figured out that the strawberry jar dish was always full of water, and the times of day I'd turn on the misting system, especially when it was so hot. They would appear almost by magic and take dirt baths in the mist.

I wanted to get a bird bath, but my budget was done, so we just put out a terra cotta pot saucer and tried to keep it full; they found it and used that quite a bit, too, but they seem to really like the feel of the MM.

Enjoy your neighborhood (wildlife) helpers!

ROFL

So I am reading this post and Acara is talking about aliens..funny...and I am snickering. Then Ander chimes in with Purple Martin info...but my eyes were reading Purple MARTIAN...and I'm laughing...but then I realize SHE'S SERIOUSLY talking about Purple MARTIANS....

Then I reread...and now I am just cracking up!

Ahhhhhhh! More wine Jennie? Hmmm...don't mind if I do!

Jennie, I realize you're a new gardener, but I thought everyone knew you DO NOT want purple martians in your garden. They start out green but turn purple after eating all your eggplants.

Newbies. Ya' gotta love 'em.

At least they're eating eggplant and not people!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVbGnspgy_8