Last years squash was bored to death

SVBs are, knock wood, the one pest I haven't had to deal with. But I'm told that if you monitor them, you can carefully split the vines where they've taken up residence and flick them out.

Don't know firsthand if this works, but thought I'd pass it on.

Someone once told me to spray the underside of leaves with a strong soap water mix. I don't know if this works on beetles. I do know however  it works on aphids, whiteflies and some mealy bugs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefedb 

Someone once told me to spray the underside of leaves with a strong soap water mix. I don't know if this works on beetles. I do know however  it works on aphids, whiteflies and some mealy bugs.

I noticed it by accident when dealing with a huge invasion of small ants into my kitchen - they set up a full 8-lane highway, complete with four-leaf-clover crossovers and roadsigns, across my kitchen.  I took what was available, a dish detergent, and noticed it killed them on contact, i guess by emulsifying their hard, but fat-based shells.  I've used it on every type of insect invasion on my terrace plants - it only works on contact, and maybe larger beetles may need stronger detergent, but i was even successful with the white cocciniglia infestation i had (another post on this forum about a laurel bush).  I used one of those sprays specifically for cutting grease, and it was necessary later to wash it off, and many of the leaves were ruined, but new ones are springing up and the bush is healthier than ever. 

While it's not good to eat it, we do use it to wash dishes and stuff we eat on, so rinsing them after the animals are dead should be ok, i imagine. 

Puree the most powerful chilis available to you (I get chiltepins from a farmer's market) in a blender with just enough water to cover, strain, and the resulting liquid is a pretty powerful and environmentally friendly insecticide.  You can even throw what you strain out into an appropriate food.

Just try not to get it in your eye or nose...  And wash your hands thoroughly with soap after you handle the stuff.

I'm not going "mad scientist" here, but a coupla times a year I mix up a solution that I spray everywhere outside my house. It's great for my plants and yard. Everything in it is the cheapest generic brand available. 

Both green and yellow mouthwash, dish soap, ammonia, "tobacco tonic" (chewing tobacco steeped overnight in 3 gals. water), epsom salt, beer, lemon juice, mothballs. 

Anyway, I mix all that stuff up and spray it all over everything. I have a very nice gardeny yard. 

Ice I am not the least bit surprised that nothing comes near your garden!

Freaking Japanese beetles are decimating my Green Beans this year. So basically when I am home I go out and knock them into a jar several times a day. I think it's helping because it looks like the leaves are starting to overtake the little buggers!