Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2001 08:43:06 -0700
From: ron <ron@NVWETLANDS.COM>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: pest control

Everyone else on the list is going to tell you to avoid pesticides, so I won't
bother to do the same. If you need to control caterpillars, you can try BT,
bacillus thuringiensis, which is the name of a pesticide derived from a
species of bacterium and the name of the bacterium. This is only toxic to
lepidoptera when they eat it, and not toxic to much of anything else. You
should be able to find BT at a local store, Home depot, garden center,
etc.There are some naturally-derived pesticides for beetles, but none that I
know of that are as specific to beetles as BT is to caterpillars. If your
worms are slugs, not caterpillars (caterpillars have legs, slugs don't and are
slimy) then you can catch slugs in a shallow bowl of beer. I say catch, as if
you're just catching them, but really they will drown themselves in the beer.
I find that after a couple of nights of good sluggin', I no longer catch many
and the population is down to an acceptable level.

Ron Rovansek
Slug-free Reno, NV

===================

Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 15:42:14 -0500
From: MiriamLDavey <athena@INTERSURF.COM>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Powdered Bugs

>Also, I have been finding a lot of thin green catepillars devouring the
>leaves on my two Turk's cap plants---are these 'beneficial' insects for
>the garden? Should I eliminate only some--none---all? These are both
>new 'animals' for my garden--but then, I have a lot of new types of
>plants! If you plant them they will come---not only the hummers! Thanks
>for any remarks---I freely admit my ignorance--but there's only one way
>to change that and that is to learn! I may see if I can do a google
>search but am not sure how to try!

The thin, green caterpillars devouring your Turk's Cap, and any other
hibiscus you're trying to grow, are the larval form of a moth whose name I
can't remember despite being told it over and over.

It's easy to deal with. Just spray the succeptible plants with any brand
of BT (Bacillus thurigensis) every five to ten days, and after a rain.
Stop spraying after a month, and check every day for shot holes in the
leaves. As soon as you see them, start spraying again.

Don't get the BT on anything you grow as a butterfly larval host. BT can
be used on human edibles, too, I think up till the day before harvest.
Clean your sprayer out really well afterwards---it is the worst for
clogging.

BT is not a chemical insecticide. It's germ warfare (yikes-doesn't that
make you feel much better?); a living bacterium which attacks only
Lepidopteran larvae, and possibly some other insect larvae (?) otherwise
known as caterpillars. It doesn't seem to give anything else alive a disease, though it does smell bad.

Good luck

Miriam

MiriamLDavey