I have an Eve's Neckless tree outside that accumulates leaf hoppers
like crazy. All the "honeydew" they excrete prevents you from even
walking underneath the tree during the summer. They appear
full-grown, so being a relative of cicadas, they must have a larval
form in the soil. I have been watching for them and they just now
arrived in full force.

Has anyone seen a gentle way to decimate this population of evil-doers
after they populate my tree? Maybe a bacterial agent? Last year I
used my leaf blower but that just temporarily disperses them.

That bottle of malathion that has resided quietly in my tool shed for
25 years now is beginnning to look real friendly at me and I think it
is starting to sing "Bali Hi".

Rusty Mase

I had success with peppermint oil soap & water sprayed on whatever
fruit/veggie the leaf hoppers attacked. It actually kills and repels the
bugs. (They hit my tomatoes & pomegranates pretty hard some years.) Go to
www.care2.com for the recipe.

"Rusty Mase" wrote in message
...
I have an Eve's Neckless tree outside that accumulates leaf hoppers
like crazy. All the "honeydew" they excrete prevents you from even
walking underneath the tree during the summer. They appear
full-grown, so being a relative of cicadas, they must have a larval
form in the soil. I have been watching for them and they just now
arrived in full force.

Has anyone seen a gentle way to decimate this population of evil-doers
after they populate my tree? Maybe a bacterial agent? Last year I
used my leaf blower but that just temporarily disperses them.

That bottle of malathion that has resided quietly in my tool shed for
25 years now is beginnning to look real friendly at me and I think it
is starting to sing "Bali Hi".

Rusty Mase

On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 13:38:43 GMT, "Sew-Sew Lady"
wrote:

I had success with peppermint oil soap & water sprayed on whatever
fruit/veggie the leaf hoppers attacked. It actually kills and repels the
bugs. (They hit my tomatoes & pomegranates pretty hard some years.) Go to
www.care2.com for the recipe.

I did not find the recipe right away and will look later (that is a
BIG website), but this solution smells just right to me. Instead of
just an Eve's Neckless tree I would also have an incense tree!

If I cannot locate the recipe then I can just improvise. It must be a
half-dozen or so drops of the essential oil and a little surfactant to
emulsify the mixture in a quart of dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO).

Rusty Mase

Type "bug spray" into the search field at their site, then choose the
"Better Basic Bug Spray" that is found in the search.
The recipe is 1 tablespoon liquid soap to 1 gallon water, and I use
peppermint castile soap.

"Rusty Mase" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 13:38:43 GMT, "Sew-Sew Lady"
wrote:

I had success with peppermint oil soap & water sprayed on whatever
fruit/veggie the leaf hoppers attacked. It actually kills and repels the
bugs. (They hit my tomatoes & pomegranates pretty hard some years.) Go
to
www.care2.com for the recipe.

I did not find the recipe right away and will look later (that is a
BIG website), but this solution smells just right to me. Instead of
just an Eve's Neckless tree I would also have an incense tree!

If I cannot locate the recipe then I can just improvise. It must be a
half-dozen or so drops of the essential oil and a little surfactant to
emulsify the mixture in a quart of dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO).

Rusty Mase