Snag wrote:

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 ...

if you put the JBs in soapy water they will drown
but you will be surprised by how long that can take.
longer than an hour or two. they must go into some
hibernation state.

i was taking them and throwing them at the end of
the driveway for the birds to eat. after a while
they would start crawling away.

i haven't seen any yet this year but they will be
around. i greatly reduced the number of how many
are around by getting rid of the wild grape vines.
i see some vines are starting up again so i'll
have to get back there again and cut it back. always
fun on a slope.


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 ...

it's been so hot here i'm not sure how many fruits
are setting yet, but i do see some and plenty of
blooms. lack of rain keeps me watering every two or
three days. the beans are not doing all that great
but they'll perk up once we get a few good rains.

i'm starting to see some flowers here or there.


songbird