Garden pests...what do you do with them?

[Beekissed]

Trying Neem for the first time this year....so far I'm not impressed.

The Jap beetles are still chewing their way through my apple trees, my apples, my taters, my beans and anything else they choose to light upon. Not only that, but they are mating like it's a Roman orgy, whereas this Neem advertises itself as slowing down on the munching and the mating of these leaf sucker bugs....not happening.

So, I pulled out the old standby sweet lime and dusted the beans and put up JB traps, trapping hundreds already...emptied those out for the chickens and they were snapped up like snacks.

Then I went through the squash and pumpkins, putting all the millions of squash bug eggs I found in soapy water, along with any adults I found. I also found and disposed of striped cuke beetles.

Looks like it will be an all out war of hand to hand combat this season as I go out each morning and evening to remove all I can by hand, then keep dusting leaves with sweet lime to desiccate the little suckers.

Squash bug eggs...they say don't let a single one survive or you will regret it!

Squash bug....got three of these this morning, caught two of them "in the act", so it felt especially good dumping them into soapy water. They needed a cold shower!

Cuke beetle...got a few of those today too....

And will keep my eye out for these...we were rampant with all kinds of squash and cuke beetles last year, so I expect the same this year...only this year I'm fighting back.

What are you guys doing to fight the garden pests this year?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I found stink bugs on my tomatoes today... sprayed them with soap spray and then wrapped the tomato cages with a physical barrier. Looks tacky, but I neeed my tomatoes!

 

[Britesea]

My worst pest over the last few years have been grasshoppers. I've tried traps, but they didn't work. The ducks were able to control them in part, but my garden butts up against the property line, and the other side is empty meadow; I think that's where they are coming from. I need to buy some Semaspore Bait but haven't found it locally. This year I will be trying Neem as well... maybe it will work better for hoppers than it does for June bugs?

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Are stink bugs and squash bugs the same thing? @Beekissed your squash bug looks like what people here call a stink bug. (Is there a difference?)

The guys that they call squash bugs here are usually white or light grey, but I really am not up on my bugs! I was actually JUST this morning looking up this critter to find out what it was. They're everywhere here this year!
I'm also trying neem oil for the first time this year. It seems to work fine for the house plants I have on my deck, but I haven't been reapplying it as often as it apparently needs to be applied. @frustratedearthmother and @Beekissed are you just using dish soap water? FEM, I was reading an older post last night and reread your post about toilet paper rolls around the tomatos. I had forgotten that, but put some out today. Thanks!
Bee, what does a jb trap look like?

 

[Beekissed]

They are different, indeed!

Stinker...

Squasher and eggs....

JB trap....my advice is to not use the traps. I've learned these past few years that I got more JBs when I had the traps than when I didn't....the number of JBs in the garden and orchard FAR out numbered those in the traps, X 1000.

Next year I'll be using the pheromones but locating them over by the woods with sticky boards beneath them....nowhere NEAR my garden or orchard.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I used the traps 2 years ago and had SO many of the darn things! I kind of just ignore the beetles, they just eat the leaves on my pole beans so I figure that's my sacrificial crop, lol. And they haven't done any real damage. I'll deal with them if they get to be a problem.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Sooo, as far as I can tell, our "stink" bugs are actually "squash" bugs and vice versa... Thanks Bee!

I'm hoping to get some praying mantis(es) next year. My ultimate goal is to attract as many natural bug predators to the area as possible, and let them fight it out, (although I have to be careful not to go too far up that food chain!) We're planning a bat house. All the neighbors spray. I'm hoping some of their natural pest eaters will come here. I did find a few good predators this morning:
This guy had lunch all wrapped up:

 

[CrealCritter]

Neem oil does work but you have to spray it on before the bugs come and tear stuff up. Think of it as a preventer not an eliminator. Spray it on a regular schedule like once a week and i think you'll find it does work very well. Mix up in a pump sprayer with Palmolive orginal.

Don't mess with that garbage they sell at the home improvement stores. 100% uncut Neem oil is the way to go. This is the best place I've found to buy 100% uncut Neem oil ---> https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LY91FMT?psc=1&th=1

 

[CrealCritter]

Are stink bugs and squash bugs the same thing? @Beekissed your squash bug looks like what people here call a stink bug. (Is there a difference?)View attachment 4824
The guys that they call squash bugs here are usually white or light grey, but I really am not up on my bugs! I was actually JUST this morning looking up this critter to find out what it was. They're everywhere here this year!
I'm also trying neem oil for the first time this year. It seems to work fine for the house plants I have on my deck, but I haven't been reapplying it as often as it apparently needs to be applied. @frustratedearthmother and @Beekissed are you just using dish soap water? FEM, I was reading an older post last night and reread your post about toilet paper rolls around the tomatos. I had forgotten that, but put some out today. Thanks!
Bee, what does a jb trap look like?

Also stink bugs fly, squash bug don't. I believe there are a number of different kinds of stink bug. The ones we have around here have an orange tint to their wings when they fly and are known as Asian stink bugs. Just another wonderful gift from across the pond, I'm afraid