Pesky little black things. ( photo / image / picture from KK Ng's Garden ) This is the first time I am planting arugula or roquette or rocket and these little black things that look like beetles are having a fun time boring holes in the leaves giving it a new look. Any idea how to control these little pests from destroying my seedlings? Home remedy is most preferred.
Could be flea beetles. You can try using the dog or cat flea shampoo or spray if you have it there. I guess people there have pets don`t they ? I am not sure but I think they are a hard shell little bug so may take an insecticide to get rid of them. You can take a small hand sprayer and put a good squirt of the dog flea shampoo or about an ounce of spray in it, then spray the plants. Once they are dead and gone just wash off.
Thanks Mart you are right, they are flea beetles and I do not have dog or cat flea shampoo. From what I read in the internet, the best solution non-organic way is to make use of insecticide which I am not in favour of. I think I'll try making use of pepper and garlic spray and see what happen. We used to have dogs but now we don't because it was too tragic for my youngest daughter when they pass on. Now one of the neighbors had illegally converted his home into a kennel breeding dogs. I have no idea how many dogs they have but it is really noisy and sometimes smelly.
I didn`t mean you had to have pets,, just buy some of the stuff. Its handy to keep on hand for all kind of garden plants. Just look to see what the active ingredient is. Permethrin and pyrethrin are both safe to use and it takes very little of it for most garden pests. Pyrethrin is made from chrysanthemums and is approved for organic gardens. I use these regularly. The spray is better than the shampoo but as long as it has either ingredient,, it will work. No more bugs !
KK, the other option for the solution is to cover the plants with a "row cover" of some type. We use a wire that we bend into an arch for a frame so the cover isn't directly on the plant and put the cover over the arch. I did kill my cabbage crop this year after we put the cover on since it got too hot here and too wet after I put the crop in and covered it. so you may need to watch closely that that doesn't happen to you. Use Mart's bug spray solution and soak the ground around the plants, too, before you put the row cover on if you choose this option.
Thanks Carolyn, I have decided to let them have their party because I had a jaw dropping experience yesterday when I went shopping for the dog shampoo. The prices here are just ridiculous so I decided to share my crop with those little pest... "VERY BIG SIGH!!!"
try a soapy water (15ml soap and a 5ml of oil to a gallon of water) spray to combat them. I normally dust with an insecticide for them. they are terrible on the eggplants, but I am not eating the foliage either, so try the soapy water and see if that helps.
Never though it would be expensive. Only $4. here and since it only takes an ounce or so,, that's cheap. Try the soapy water and add some garlic to it. Might work.
Thanks Carolyn, I was just thinking of the soap and oil mix too but I was worried that the soap might burn the leaves. Maybe I will try it on a single leaf first. Mart here it cost about US$11.00 for a 100ml bottle and to me that is a ridiculous amount. Might give the soap, oil mix plus garlic a try.
