Pests: A collection
We have five dominant pests in the garden that have been trouble the two years I've been present (click on any of the below to get more information and ideas for control):
Note: We had "urban" deer that were quite difficult in 2013, but with the new fence put up in 2014, they seem to have moved on.
An activity for the kiddos
Squash Borers
Japanese Beetles
We have lots and lots of Japanese Beetles, but I am not adding them to this list because they are a problem. They are in here because they are a commonly perceived disaster amongst local gardeners who then put out hormone traps--which only succeed at attracting all the neighborhood beetles to the garden.
If they are causing trouble, which we haven't seen much of, bring around a bottle of soapy water and knock the beetles in. Additionally, spray plants with soapy water (a solution we use for squash bugs and cucumber beetles, see below).
Lastly, if chickens are available, bring them to the garden. They love the adults and will give some manure in return.
Squash Bugs
Striped Cucumber Beetle
These tricky ones are cute, but can be lethal en masse by munching on plants and bringing bacteria around to other plants. They will hop around on cucumbers, melons, squash (summer and winter), and pumpkins. When you go to grab them, they fly away or burrow down next to the squash bugs.
Transplant these plants into the garden instead of direct seeding--they'll be stronger and fight the buggers on their own (as much as they can).
Mulching deeply with straw or other organic material will deter them from laying eggs at the base of the plant.
Just like squash borers, these beetles like Hubbard Squash. Consider planting Hubbards a week or so before the rest as a trap plant.
They also love yellow--create a trap by taking a yellow cup or tape and applying honey that has steeped in clove, allspice, or cinnamon (to make it smell like flowers).
Mexican Bean Beetle
Squash Borers
These nasty buggers decimated our squash and zucchini crop in 2013. I swore this year (2014) that we wouldn't plant any, but we couldn't help ourselves. What did we get? A lot of squash borers.
We did battle them, though. We got a few summer squash and sugar pumpkins as well as very small, decorative winter squash.
One way to battle them is to take a razor blade and cut the stem without damaging the plant too badly. If the base of the stem is brown, rotten, and mealy, REMOVE the plant and take it far from the garden. Squish the maggot-looking larvae inside. There may be multiple in one plant, so rip up the stem from the bottom to the top to find them.
Add good soil around the base of the plant to assist in rerooting once the plant has been attacked.
Add a preventative barrier (a nylon stocking, according to the Farmer's Almanac).
My best suggestion? Don't plant squash for a few years, or only ones that borers don't like (i.e. Butternut).
Japanese Beetles
Squash Bugs
Squash bugs are a plentiful PITA (pain in the arse) in this garden. Have no fear, they are easily controlled if you begin early.
First, they are fun with the kids: squish one so that the blue gunk comes out and ask them what it smells like. (Answer: sour apple jolly ranchers)
Second: the eggs are in wonderful patterns on the undersides of squash, pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini, and melon leaves. Early June, squish them with your fingers by gently rolling them, but try not to damage the leaf. If there are many plants with eggs, get a spray bottle with soapy water and some cayenne. Spray the underside of leaves and stems as well. The soap and cayenne break the exoskeleton of both eggs and nymphs (which are harder to catch than adults). The eggs hatch every 10 days, so try to do a treatment once/week.
The adults are indeed fun to squish, but there are so many of them and they are good hiders. Put cardboard or newspaper at the base of the plant at night. They like to hide out, so when you lift the paper in the morning they will all be right there.
Striped Cucumber Beetle
Mexican Bean Beetle
Mexican Bean Beetles are a newly serious threat to the garden. In 2013, they were not too bad. This year (2014), they decimated the entirety of the bean crop. We did plant HUNDREDS of bean plants because the kids love them (and they are lower to the ground to help harvest for the kiddos).
At first we thought they weren't doing too much damage, but once the leaves started becoming spider webs (commonly around mid-July, early August), we went to town squishing them. This is unpleasant to say the least--sticky, goopy yellow sludge.
Plant early maturing beans and after a few harvests rip up the plants and dispose of them (hot compost, burn, throw away).
Put the adults into soapy water like the Japanese Beetles. Spray the plants with soapy water and add diatomaceous earth (DE) if you can find it (breweries, maple syrup operations, and wineries have some, or buy a large bag of it for $10).