These bugs are on my potato plants. They are nesting down into the flowers and chewing them off. I think they are on some of the other veggies as well (peas). They are very tiny less than a quarter of an inch long. It was hard to get a picture of them as they are very flighty. I only have a point and shoot camera so I had to be fast. I tried D Earth on them and it didn't seem to help. Any one know what these are and how I can get rid of them? ( photo / image / picture from Chrisle's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Chrisle's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Chrisle's Garden )
I did a search and 'Ask Jeeves' said this about getting rid of potato bugs. "They feast on potato plants. They can wipe out an entire crop in very little time. The irony is that the chemical pesticides used for years to control destructive beetles have created a situation in which the strongest have not only survived, but also developed a resistance against many pesticides. Once you see one, you need to start your plans to get rid of them immediately. Try and prevent the potato beetle from ever showing up in the first place. One trick that seems to work is to surround your field with a freshly dug trench lined with plastic, creating a barrier. Take soil and lightly spread it over the plastic. For some reason, it's next to impossible for beetles to walk across soil-dusted plastic. You could also plant companion plants that the potato bug cannot stand. These plants include coriander, horseradish and marigolds. Plant them in between the rows of potato plants. You could also plant flowers and plants that have an abundance of sap and pollen like Echinacea and litaris. These plants attract insects that consider potato bugs a tasty treat. If you suspect you have an issue, check underneath your plants leaves, where the beetles tend to lay their eggs in bunches. Immediately remove and throw away any infested leaves that you find. Chances are, the beetle is already in your garden. Once you confirm this, it's time to bring out the big guns. If you're looking for organic methods of control, your best option is Bacillus thuringiensis, which has a great reputation for killing this pest and its larvae. You must use it sparingly since it can also kill off good beetles. There are no restrictions on how often you can use it. If you must use chemicals, Sevin dust is the pesticide used most often. It's not organic, but it's considered less toxic than other pesticides. It's applied with a tank and a sprayer, and it can only be applied once every seven days. I'm not sure if these are the bugs your encountering on your plants but these methods of getting rid of them should apply to other bugs too. Good luck.
Do you have either dog or cat flea spray or shampoo ? If so put about an ounce in a spray bottle add water and spray your plants. If using the spray add a squirt of dish soap too so it will stick. May need to spray every two or three days till you get rid of all of them. I think this is a leaf hopper. Its not a striped potato bug, but this works for both. Just noticed you are in Canada, not sure what brands you have there or if they use the same ingredients in the spray. You want either permethrin, or pyrethrin as active ingredient. But even if its a different one,if it will kill fleas it will kill these too.
Eileen thank you for your response and searching this bug for me. I known it takes a lot of time and I do appreciate it very much. These bugs are not the typical potato bug. They are very tiny and fly off when they sense you are there. I have, however, found 3 Colorado potato beetles. Got rid of them quickly and have looking every day for new offspring. None yet! It is good to know what I can do if they start to get out of hand. Netty, I do think you are correct on the leaf hoppers. I did a google image search after I seen your comment. Eventually I seen some that were quite similar. Mart, I don't have any pets to have flea spray on hand. I can get some this week when I go to the city. I will look to see that it has the ingredients that you mentioned. I had these same bugs last year and there wasn't anything they did not like. They even ruined my dill. They stunt the growth for everything. I plant about 400 potatoes plants so the pet flea stuff doesn't sound like it would be too expensive. Thank you everyone, for giving me your time and help with this buggy situation. Christina
It isn`t expensive but with that many plants it will be more economical to buy it at the farm store. it is undiluted and will go much farther. Its about $14.00 for a big bottle. Either one is fine,,pyrethrin or permethrin. I normally use the permethrin because I keep it for my horses and dogs and its usually the easiest to find. It doesn`t take much so it goes a long way. I would try 1 oz. per gallon of water then see if it needs to be stronger. I usually just estimate the amount.
ok, thanks mart, for the added information. I will check out the feed store to see if they have it. If not I live close enough to the border that I can also drop in the feed store over there and it is probably cheaper than it is here. It is also where we have our U.S shipments sent to when we order online. So problem with that. Thanks again
