How's Your Insect Pressure?

[GoDawgs]

I'd like to pose a question. Are any of you out there experiencing a lot lower insect pressure this year? I really hate to ask the question for fear of jinxing a good thing.

This year has been quite a different one relative to quantity of and damage from insects in the garden. The year started with hardly any Japanese beetles at all, a rarity. There were few webworm webs up in the trees. I spied not one Colorado Potato beetle on the potatoes or eggplant. And flea beetles weren't lacing up brassicas as heavily as they usually try to do.

Amazingly, there have been zero squash vine borers. That's unheard of. Squash bug, stink bug and leaf footed bug populations are either running really late or are really in low numbers. Leaf footeds generally come on later in the season so I hope they're not listening to this and decide on a "Well, we'll show HER!" strategy.

I chalk up the finding of just two tomato hornworms to a luckily timed application of bT to tomato plants. The pickleworm has attacked the squash and cukes one time but I'm trying to keep those plants covered at night. Hopefully there will be just this one wave this summer, not two or three.

It all seems odd. Believe me when I say I'm not complaining, no-sir-ee! But I am wondering if this is just a local thing, regional or happening in general everywhere.

What's happening where you are?

[Nan6b]

Japanese beetles are heavy here. Have seen some different-looking stink bugs- a bit bigger/longer than the usual, but not seeing the usual ones. Tons of bees, both bumble & honey.

[pondgardener]

Lots of Japanese beetles, but they pretty much decided to stick to the virginia creeper vines, leaving everything else alone. Cucumber beetles are AWOL this year as well as squash bugs. Haven't seen a tomato hornworm in ages but maybe the horde of house sparrows are taking care of them. Weather has been hot and dry, so maybe that has something to do with the lack of bugs too...but I certainly am not complaining.

[brownrexx]

I have seen less Colorado Potato Beetles than usual and also less Japanese Beetles.

[pepperhead212]

I've seen less of most things this year - less rain and humidity, as a rule. I did start seeing those spotted lanternflies for the first time, however.

[KathyDC]

I had a lot of aphids and spider mites early in the season, and had to be pretty aggressive in treating for them - but I'd say for the last month or so I haven't seen any, knock on wood, and I haven't really been treating for them in that time period. However, I've stepped up my fungal spraying so maybe they just don't like copper and daconil.

[ponyexpress]

I'm having trouble with the Asiatic Garden Beetle affecting my strawberries, peppers, raspberries, and basil. Hand picking them.
Did have Colorado Potato Beetle earlier on my potatoes which I also picked by hand.

Other than that, there were no other insect issues.

Mainly the biggest problem I'm having are with deer & voles.

[stone]

Cucumber worms... ruined my beautiful cushaw squash... thought I could let them grow... the squash rotted and became unusable.
when the worms are in the cukes, no big deal... cut them out, feed affected areas to yardbirds... sadly no such easy fix with my cushaws.

seeing kudzu bugs on trail of tear beans, but it's too dry to much matter. bean plants are rapidly giving up anyway.
found lots of earworms on the sweet corn... chicken food... surprisingly disinclined to eat the corn smut... the mexicans eat it... but I don't care for it, chickens turn up their noses... what's that about?

[wildcat62]

Stink bugs starting to make an appearance. Not bad so far but I'm afraid it will get worse.

[karstopography]

Mites appear to have gotten into the purple hull peas. Those and aphids. Freaking Black Carpenter ants are all in the peas farming the aphids. The ants will attack me when I get in there with them, only time those ants seem to be aggressive. Purple hull peas fought off the aphids and mites somewhat based on the number of dried pods. Went threw super dry conditions then about 10 days of nonstop rains and such and I wasn’t around to do anything about either. Pods are mostly ruined by the rain and I don’t like them dried out anyway. Nearby Thai Red noodle beans and Okra seem unaffected by either which is good.

[MissS]

The Japanese Beetles are fierce this year. I let a few go for a swim.

20200731_135708.jpg

[bower]

What a way to go, Patti! Beautiful!
Leaf hoppers are raging here this summer. We always have some for a few weeks early summer, but these are voracious and not going away.
Slugs this summer are wicked as well, terrible mowers of seedlings and they have really given my burdock a beating.
Suddenly we're hopping with toads again, though! They disappeared for awhile but now they're everywhere (lots of little ones too).

[MissS]

[mention]Bower[/mention] Do everything in your power to keep those toads happy. They are a gardeners best friend. Last year was quite rainy here and the slugs were terrible. The DE did not even slow them down because it rained every day. I keep clay flower pots placed on their sides in the garden to make little houses for the toads. They use them too. Toads eat plenty of slugs and I am glad to have them.

[ponyexpress]

The Japanese Beetles are fierce this year. I let a few go for a swim.
20200731_135708.jpg

Nice! Is this the result of hand picking them?

[GoDawgs]

Freaking Black Carpenter ants are all in the peas farming the aphids. The ants will attack me when I get in there with them, only time those ants seem to be aggressive.

There's another reason ants get into peas and that's for the sweet liquid from the extrafloral nectaries. More about that in a separate post! Anyway, I found that by flicking my finger on the pod that I want to pull, the ants go flying and I can safely snap the pod off.

It always amazes me how docile all the bee/wasp types are. They too are after the nectaries and a slight tap on the stem will have them lazily finding a different pod set to eat at.

[MissS]

The Japanese Beetles are fierce this year. I let a few go for a swim.
20200731_135708.jpg

Nice! Is this the result of hand picking them?

Their first reaction is to drop when threatened so I just put the container under them and take my other hand to shake a stem or flick them with my finger. In they fall into the soapy water. Sometimes I will just grab them and put them in. Gosh, I have been getting this many 3 times a day and I used Milky Spore last year. I guess that it was a waste of my money because they sure are thriving.

[pondgardener]

They are probably coming from another area that wasn't treated with milky spore. I have treated the small lawn with milky spore and I don't have the damage there that I used to get but I still get Japanese beetles. But for some reason, they feed on the Virginia Creeper vines and leave the grapes, beans and other plants alone.So ???

[PlainJane]

I’m seeing about average levels of insect pests here in N. Florida. Lately been finding a few stink bugs and leaf footed bugs on the eggplant, probably because the tomatoes are all finished and pulled. A bit of whitefly on the zinnias and tithonia.
The usual hungry chewers on the cukes.
Fall tomatoes have just germinated so we’ll see what happens when they go outside in 6 weeks.

Nice that you’re in a ‘no fly zone’ this year!

[ponyexpress]

Their first reaction is to drop when threatened so I just put the container under them and take my other hand to shake a stem or flick them with my finger. In they fall into the soapy water. Sometimes I will just grab them and put them in. Gosh, I have been getting this many 3 times a day and I used Milky Spore last year. I guess that it was a waste of my money because they sure are thriving.

I sometimes do the same with the asiatic garden beetle but it can be hard when they're on a strawberry plant that is very low to the ground. Maybe I need to use a lid or something else that is suitably shallow.

[MissS]

[mention]ponyexpress[/mention] I feel for you! With those so low on your strawberry plants. That is a challenge for sure. If it were me, I would consider covering the strawberries to save my back from going out. I sure hope that the Asiatic Beetles don't find me. Between those and the Japanese Beetles I would have a full-time job picking them off everyday.
With all of these imported pests here, I wonder what pests we have sent to other countries that they dread so much.