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Question by HVAC Man: Black Bugs on tomato plants?
Ok it seems to be, every year I have great looking tomatos, and then I get these little black bugs, that pretty much destroy the tomatos.
In years past they have always gone for the red tomatos, this year I see they are already digging into my green ones.
My question is…. Is there anything I can put on the plants to keep them away, but is pet safe?
I’ve found many pesticide type stuff, but none of it says its pet safe.
Any Help would be greatly appreciated.
Best answer:
Answer by alexr1229
Try ladybugs. We are a pet friendly house and that is what we use to control the pests in our garden. Earlier this year we had a similar problem bu the ladybugs ate them all up.
What do you think? Answer below!
“Niall blushes the most around our fans, anything they say to him he goes red as a tomato” – Harry – by 1DNotebook (One Direction)
Tomato portrait: Costoluto Fiorentino
Image by scyrene
I grew 15 varieties of tomato this year. For my records, and because it can be hard to find images online, I’m taking portraits of each, now they are ripening.
This is ‘Costoluto Fiorentino’, a heavily ribbed, red, Italian heirloom variety with a good reputation for flavour. I’ve noticed a tendency to rot from the centre and the blossom end, however.
Canon 300D, Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6
175mm, f/5.6, 1/200, ISO 250.
Fea Beetles?
Flea beetles are small, black or brown beetles that jump when disturbed. The adults chew small holes or pits in leaves. Wounded tissue may be more susceptible to diseases such as early blight. Most plants outgrow flea beetle damage. “Trap Crops” work in some situations. Plant a highly favored crop to attract flea beetles away from the main crop. In isolated plantings, thick mulches may also help reduce the number of flea beetles by interfering with activity of the root and soil stages. Flea beetles can be vacuumed off foliage, but this practice must be repeated frequently. Diatomaceous earth (organic) is one of the more effective repellents, applied as a dry powder to the plants. Horticultural oils and some neem insecticides also have some repellent effect on this insect. Insecticides such as cabaryl (Sevin) or permethrin (Eight) are effective controls, if needed.
Stink Bugs?
Stink bugs cause direct damage to tomatoes. They insert their mouth parts into the tomate and suck the juices. This leaves yellow blotches in the tomates. Control of stink bug:
1. Sanitation. Control weeds in susceptible crops and in areas adjacent to gardens to decrease breeding and overwintering habitat. It is important to remove weeds early in the growing season before stink bug populations increase or the loss of habitat may force pests to move into the garden.
2. Collect insects. Hand pick and destroy eggs and bugs.
3. Use natural controls. Encourage other natural predators such as parasitic wasps and flies by growing small-flowered plants. The unpleasant odor produced by stink bugs deters many predators but several bird species do consume these pests.
4. Use trap crops. Plant trap crops of mustard and treat that area with an appropriate pesticide.
5. Use insecticides. If damage is severe, use insecticidal soap, sabadilla, pyrethrin, or permethrin (Eight).
P.S. Ladybugs consume soft bodied insects like aphids. They are not going to control hard-bodied beetles.
Soaps have been used for 200 years or more and are effective against soft-bodied Insects such as aphids, some scales, psyllids, whiteflies, thrips, mealybugs and spider mites. They are not affective on hard-bodied insects. Certain plants may be sensitive to soaps, resulting in leaf burn. To avoid phytotoxicity, always test a soap spray on a small area of the plant. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AurYBoUNor4U4PNfJUwqUZQjzKIX?qid=20070625111617AAZfZ25
Oil phytotoxicity can occur on plants if the product is not used properly. Plant damage can occur when: 1) too much is used; 2) plants are under water stress; 3) temperatures are over 90 degrees.
Pyrethrum is the most widely used botanical insecticide in the United States. The active ingredient, pyrethrin, is extracted from the chrysanthemum plant, Dendranthemum (Chrysanthemum) cinerariaefolium, which is grown primarily in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ecuador.
Most Insects are highly susceptible to pyrethrum at low concentrations. The compound acts rapidly on Insects, causing immediate “knockdown.” Flying Insects drop almost immediately upon exposure. Pyrethrums also are highly irritating to Insects, so they may be used as a “flushing agent” or irritant to make them come out of hiding.
Fast knockdown and actual insect death don’t always go hand in hand, as many Insects recover after the initial knockdown. For this reason, pyrethrums are mixed with a synergist such as piperonyl butoxide (PBO) to increase insect mortality. Pyrethrums are primarily effective as a contact poison. They affect the central nervous system of Insects.
Pyrethrum is nontoxic to most mammals, making it among the safest insecticides in use. In fact, it has more approved EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) uses than any other insecticide. Trade names include Pyrenone and Pyrellin.
Neem is a botanical pesticide derived from the seeds of the neem tree, a native of India. The neem tree supplies at least two compounds, azadirachtin and salannin, that have insecticidal activity, and other unknown compounds with fungicidal activity. Neem has been used for more than 4,000 years in India and Africa for medicinal as well as pest control purposes. It has low mammalian toxicity with an LD50 of 5,000 mg/kg.
Neem-based pesticides are sold under trade names such as Margosan-O, Azatin Rose Defense, Shield-All, Triact and Bio-neem. They have been shown to control gypsy moths, leafminers, sweet potato whiteflies, western flower thrips, loopers, caterpillars and mealybugs. The products are labeled for use on ornamentals, foliage plants, trees, shrubs and food Crops. Neem works as an insect growth regulator. The treated insect usually cannot molt to its next life stage and dies. It also may deter egg laying. Do not expect a quick kill.
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a nontoxic insecticide mined from the fossilized silica shell remains of diatoms. Diatoms are single-celled or colonial algae in the class Bacillarophyceae.
DE absorbs the waxy layer on the surface of insect skins, causing the insect to dry out. It also can work as an abrasive, rupturing cuticle cells. The product is labeled to control slugs, grasshoppers, millipedes and sow bugs, as well as soft-bodied Insects such as aphids.
DE is formulated as a dust, either alone or in combination with pyrethrin. With a low mammalian toxicity, the LD50 ranges from 3,160 to 8,000 mg/kg, depending on the formulation.
If you want to go organically make a garlic/chili spray..boil down some garlic cloves and hot peppers together..let cool of course..dilute it and then spray…ladybugs are a very nice organic way as well..but sometimes the birds attract to them and they eat tomatoes too..this link below has alot of organic solutions..
http://wiwi.essortment.com/homemadeorgani_renu.htm
This all-purpose Garlic spray is great for getting rid of bugs, slugs, cutworms, wireworms, & whiteflies. Blend well 1garlic bulb & 1 onion add 1Tbsp cayenne pepper & 1 quart water. Steep ingredients for 1 hr, then strain & add a few drops to 1Tbsp mild dish soap (Ivory) and your non-toxic spray is ready to use against garden pests. Use this spray when it’s overcast or in the cool of the a.m. or p.m. Start with the least amount of soap …a few drops… first. Increase only if necessary. The size & type of pest determines the amount.
Start out with the simplest solution:
1 oz. Ivory Liquid to 1 gallon of water.
OR you can try an even stronger all-purpose solution:
1 to 2 Tablsp vegetable oil (or horticurtual oil) and 1 to 2 Tablsp. Ivory liquid soap to a gallon of water. Upon coming into contact with an insect the oil will coat and smother the insect. Start with a weaker solution first.
Liquid soap serves as an all-purpose pesticide. Try to use a “pure” soap, to mimimize burning plants or adding unecessary chemicals to your veggies. Just dilute a few tablespoons in a quart of water and mix with strong-smelling substances such as garlic, cayenne, horseradish, or onion, then spray on plants weekly.
The potent smell of garlic really keeps the “bad” pests away because it masks their target plants.
Once you get rid of the pests that are on your plants now, you can use just a garlic & water spray to keep the bad bugs away.
Other herbs and spices that pests hate are cloves, cinnamon, mint, rosemary, thyme, basil and chili peppers. Some people sprinkle chili pepper on plants to control & deter insects & crawling pests.
Good Luck! Hope this helps.