Were eating my beans up pretty badly , but I'm somewhat controlling
their numbers now . I sprayed the plants - blue lake pole beans - before
they flowered with some fruit tree spray (checked with my Plant Guru
first , she said it was OK) that has permethrin and neem oil and that
worked fairly well . Once they flower I can't use pesticides because of
the bees , so I'm drowning the bugs in soapy water . What I'm doing is
holding a gallon size ice cream container with an inch or so of soapy
water in it under the leaf they're on . I touch or shake the leaf , they
land in the soapy water and drown . Early in the morning is a good time
as is late afternoon/early evening - but you can find them just about
any time of day . I'm not preventing all the damage , but I'm reducing
it enough that it's not a big deal . And this year the beans are loaded
loaded with blossoms and teeny tiny beans . I am optimistic ...
Also , the tomatoes are doing very well , loaded with fruit and
blossoming like crazy . We've started picking cucumbers and a few
peppers (California Wonder red/green and Anaheims) and the bees are
doing very well , putting up lots of honey . Everything seems to be
going well this year - I think it's partly because I'm spending more
time out there and partly due to fertilizing with generous quantities
of rabbit droppings ...
--
Snag
Illegitimi non
carborundum