Terry Coombs wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:
Terry Coombs wrote:
While checking things out in the garden yesterday , I found 2 kinds
of bugs on some of my tomato leaves . The small pear-shaped green
ones are aphids , but I can't find any info on the other one . At
first glance they look like tiny pieces of white thread about 1/16"
long . Under a magnifier they're tiny little bugs that kinda-sorta
have a resemblance to a praying mantis . I powdered the entire
tomato patch with DiPel , a BT based product , making sure I covered
both top and bottom of the leaves . Hopefully this will control
whatever it is . If it's a predator bug , it shouldn't be harmed
since it won't be eating the leaves ...

I think this was a waste of time as BT specifically attacks the
lining if the gut of insect larvae (grubs and caterpillars) who eat
it. This is why it is generally safe for predatory insect and
miscellaneous other living things as either it doesn't attack their
gut or they don't eat it. Aphids don't eat the leaves as they are
sap-suckers, the BT is non-systemic so it sits on the outside and
doesn't get into the sap. For aphids you can hose them off, they
cannot climb back up to the top of the plant where the soft shoots
and buds are. Or use one of the milder contact sprays like
pyrethrum.
D

Thanks , I'll check out the pyrethrum . I have to be very careful now
about what I use and when . We have a new bee hive out in the orchard
, and we don't want to poison Our Ladies of the Hive .

Pyrethrum is strictly contact, if the bees don't get sprayed they are not
harmed. Do it by moonlight when they are all in bed.

D