Natural Solutions to Things That Bug You (84 page)

WORMS

WORMS

ARMYWORM

Identification:

    This is a 2-inch long caterpillar that is green with yellow-orange stripes down its back. It is a type of cutworm and usually feeds close to the ground, usually on plant stalks. They lay their eggs on leaves and their larvae eat grass stems. They tend to travel in mass like an army and will invade your garden with extreme prejudice. They will feed at night and lay low during the day. The females may lay as many as 700 eggs.

SPRAY THEM OR TRAP THEM

Prepare a mixture of a soapy solution with ¼ cup of lime and spray the caterpillars. If you want to trap them use a commercial pheromone trap. Nc nematodes and Bt also work very well.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER, DOWN MEXICO WAY

To get rid of armyworms, just remove the seeds from Mexican poppies and grind them into a powder. Us the powder to dust the plants you are having a worm problem with. This is an excellent method of control.

BAGWORM

Identification:

    These are real pests that hide inside a rolled up leaf and eat away from the inside out. It is very hard to find the worm inside their spindle-shaped bags.

They are a brownish color and seal up their bag they live in with silk. They will drag the bag along to different locations and stay hidden as they eat. A large number of bagworms can defoliate and kill a tree in short order.

Their eggs are laid in the winter months and hatch in the early spring. Most of the bagworms are found on the east coast.

SNEAKY LITTLE EAST COAST BUGS

If you have a bad infestation the best method of eliminating the problem is to spray Bt on all the foliage. If the infestation is light, just handpick the little devils.

GIVE THEM A SQUIRT OR TWO

The soap and lime spray works great. Just mix together ¼ cup of lime and 4 drops of liquid soap in 1 gallon of water. If you prefer, you can use garlic, onion juice or hot pepper sauce in place of the lime.

MEALWORM

General Information:

    These little creatures reside in your flour or other grains and can survive in all conditions from very dry to moist. They love areas with poor sanitation, especially if grains or flour has fallen to the floor. Pet stores sell mealworms for people to feed to their pets such as turtles, fish and birds.

DOUBLE YOU’RE PLEASURE

Mealworms will avoid your grain products (macaroni, spaghetti, etc) if you keep a wrapped slice of spearmint gum near or in the products. The bugs do not like spearmint gum but love Juicy Fruit.

NEMATODES

Identification:

    The small worms are only 1/125
of an inch and you will need a microscope to see them. They are tapered on both ends and their egg masses look like small, pearly lumps.

General Information:

These roundworms are the bad relative of the good Nc nematode and can cause wilting, yellowing and stunting of plants. The root-knot nematode causes galls or swellings on the roots of plants. They lay their eggs near the roots so that their offspring does not have far to go for a meal and can live their whole life underground. They can damage 2,000 different plants, which include almost any vegetable you can think of. They can be found everywhere in the United States, but like coarse soil the best.

Nematodes prefer soil that is lacking in organic matter. If you use mulch that is high in organic matter you should not have a problem with nematodes. There are over 500,000 species of this worm. They go from microscopic in size to a 20 footer that is found in whales.

LEMON CONTROL

There are beneficial nematodes that destroy other bug eggs as well as the bad nematodes. If you have the bad ones and you want to get rid of them, just grow lemon grass in the areas where you want to reduce or eliminate a population. This is one of the most effective methods of control.

HOW SWEET IT IS

2                    Cup of granulated sugar

2                    Cups of boiling water

1                    Gallon of cool tap water

Dissolve the sugar into the boiling water, remove from the heat and add the cool water, then pour on the soil area that is infested. Sugar has the ability to draw moisture from the worms and dries them out.

TURN UP THE HEAT

If the weather is hot you can get rid of the nematode pests by giving them a steam bath. Make sure that there is no chance of rain and prepare the soil for cultivation first. Water the area thoroughly until the ground is well saturated, then cover the ground with a heavy-duty clear plastic sheet.

Secure the plastic sheet to the ground on all sides. If the temperature is hot it will make the ground about 140
F and kill off the nematodes. This process will take about 5 weeks to accomplish. You will also eliminate many other pests as well as weed seeds.

GO FOR THE GOLD

There are two varieties of marigolds that when planted in an area that harbors nematodes will get rid of them. The French or African marigold releases a chemical from their roots that can kill nematodes. After the marigolds have finished blooming grind them into the soil or add them to your compost. Other plants that will repel nematodes are mustard, watercress, rutabaga and radishes.

THE GREEN KILLER

Next time you cook asparagus, save the cooking water. The water will contain a chemical that will kill nematodes.

Pour or spray the cooking water in areas that are infested. Other plants that will repel nematodes include garlic, calendula, salvia, dahlias and velvet beans.

SEAWEED COMPOST

If you are able to acquire some seaweed, either place it on the soil or add it to your compost for a great nematode killer.

SUFFOCATE THEM

If you prepare a solution of corn oil mixed with water and sprinkle the solution near the roots it will kill off the nematodes. To make it easier to mix oil and water add 2 ampoules of lecithin to the mixture.

FERTILIZE THEM TO DEATH

If you use a fertilizer composed of 70% fish emulsion and 30% yucca extract (Pent-A-Vate™) nematodes will leave the plants alone.

GLUB, GLUB

If you flood an area where you are having a serious nematode problem, it will have to be under water for two years to get rid of the pest and all the egg masses.

ROOT-KNOT NEMATODE

General Information:

    This is not the good Nc nematode. This one thrives on infecting plants causing cell decay and root galls to form. It will release toxins and bacteria as it feeds on the plant roots. The galls are large, round formations on the roots. The galls will split open and cause the plant tissue to decay. The plants will wilt and be stunted.