My sweet corn has ants and these giant beetles sucking on the flowers.
The stalks look yellowed. I suppose these parasites need to be
controlled. What can I use to get rid of these bugs?

I looked more closely at my corn --they are loaded with aphids!



wrote:
Try garlic tea, it will take care of most beetles. If that doesn't
work right away, use garlic/pepper tea. Last resort, because it
actually kills the bugs and also kills beneficial insects is
garlic/pepper tea with orange oil.

Make sure that the beetles are actually harming the plant. A great
many beetles are beneficial and eat harmful critters.

higgledy wrote:
My sweet corn has ants and these giant beetles sucking on the flowers.
The stalks look yellowed. I suppose these parasites need to be
controlled. What can I use to get rid of these bugs?

wrote in message
ups.com...
Try garlic tea, it will take care of most beetles. If that doesn't
work right away, use garlic/pepper tea. Last resort, because it
actually kills the bugs and also kills beneficial insects is
garlic/pepper tea with orange oil.


I have an ant invasion on my okra and I've tried everything I can think of.
Garlic/Pepper tea, the Howard Garrett recipe, doesn't even phase them.


--
J.C.

J.C. wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...

Try garlic tea, it will take care of most beetles. If that doesn't
work right away, use garlic/pepper tea. Last resort, because it
actually kills the bugs and also kills beneficial insects is
garlic/pepper tea with orange oil.



I have an ant invasion on my okra and I've tried everything I can think of.
Garlic/Pepper tea, the Howard Garrett recipe, doesn't even phase them.


I've never seen okra harmed by ants, generally they're after aphids, and
other tiny insects. We have them all the time and just tap the okra with
a stick to dislodge them while we cut the pods. That's so we won't get bit.

George

George Shirley wrote:

I've never seen okra harmed by ants, generally they're after aphids, and
other tiny insects. We have them all the time and just tap the okra with
a stick to dislodge them while we cut the pods. That's so we won't get bit.


IIRC, ants sometimes "farm" aphids and other insects that create a
sweet product the ants can eat. I wouldn't automatically view the
ants as friends.