Bugs, Bugs Everywhere

My first line of defense is a row cover. I can’t grow eggplant now without covering it with a row cover. The flea beetles just decimate it. I try to keep the plants coated with a light coating of flour, but it tends to wear off, and I can’t keep them covered enough to set the flea beetles back. Row covers will keep the beetles off until the plants are big enough to withstand the flea beetle attack. Row covers also work well for other types of insects that attack in the spring, before the weather becomes hot. Some people use them over cabbage and broccoli to fight cabbage moths. Make sure you seal the edges and repair any rips so no insects can find their way through. Read the directions and remove when it is too hot to use them. They will trap heat.

My second line of defense is physically removing the bugs or eggs. Slugs can be hunted at night; Japanese beetles knocked onto the ground and stomped; vine borers cut out; cabbage moth larvae picked off. Eggs of bean beetles, Colorado potato beetle and squash bugs can be scraped off and destroyed. Not the most appealing activities, but if done as soon as you spot intruders, you can kill them before they’ve a chance to reproduce.

My third line of defense is direct attack on the bugs. Use the most gentle attack on each type of bug: pepper spray for cabbage moths; Bt for a variety of beetle larvae; neem oil for Japanese beetles. Whatever you do, don’t reach for synthetic pesticides. You will only have a backlash when your beneficial insects ore killed. then you’ll have other types of problems in your garden, plus unknown exposure to unknown chemicals.

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