But last week I noticed some Leaffooted Bugs on them...
Here's the adults. They're kind of big and ugly looking. They're related to the stink bug and they suck the juices out of the tomatoes.
Here's some babies and even though they are smaller they are no less destructive than the adults.
Here's the damage they do. There will be soft watery spots on the tomato and then bacteria can start growing in it...yuck!
Each day while we're out in the garden we're looking for these guys and squooshing them because that is our favorite pest control method. Now they are related to the stink bug...you might want to consider that before you squoosh yours. Other than spraying with something that will kill all bugs (including bees) there's not much else to do.
But here's something interesting I've observed...
- The Rutger tomatoes are the most covered. We have 2 beds with this variety one at each end of the tomato area and both beds have a lot more leaffooted bugs than the other beds.
- The Romas are the next susecptible.
- I've only seen a few of these on the Lemon Boy.
- I've not found any on the Purple Cherokee or the small tomatoes. I'm not saying they've never had any, I'm just saying I've not ever seen these bugs on the them nor have I've seen any leaffooted damage on the Purple Cherokees or the small bugs.
It'll be interesting when the season is over to figure out an average of how many pounds of fruit each tomato plant produced and to see what varieties did the best.
I did have a friend tell me that Hyacinth Beans attract leaffooted bugs and that she plants them near her tomatoes so that the bug will eat the beans and leave the tomatoes alone. We might try that next year.
Have you ever had these bugs? Is there another organic way of getting rid of them?
I'm sharing this post at Tuesday Garden Party.
Hi Angi~ Thanks for stopping over. I'm always interested in reading peoples garden adventures. I'm also looking forward to reading your end of the year wrap up about the tomato varieties you planted. We've planted several varieties too. I have a few more tomato posts planned for some of those.
ReplyDeleteOur biggest pest problem is not the bugs (so far), but the the birds!
Following you via Google Friend Connect. I'd love a follow back if your over visiting again and think about it.
(Hey,are you vegan? I noticed the link on your sidebar for the 30 day webinar.)
I'm not vegan but I did take Heather's 30 Day Vegan workshop. I loved it! We try to eat just whole foods and have recently had the opportunity to be a part of a meat and dairy co-op that purchases raw dairy and grass fed beef and poultry. However, in order to do that I need to serve a few more meatless meals during the week. The workshop really helped me get refocused on that.
DeleteOh, bummer. My grandfather had a bunch of those, but he's quick to spray with nasty stuff. I haven't had too many bugs this year, but I do preventative natural spraying. Once I start getting fruit I spray with a homemade concoction of water with epsom salts, and various essential oils, particularly peppermint, lemongrass, and lavender. It seems to work pretty well, but doesn't last long. I don't have a large garden, so it isn't a big deal to spray the plants once a week or so.
ReplyDeleteI've also heard people get great results from homemade pepper and garlic sprays.
Good luck!
Thanks. We will probably try some homemade sprays next year. We've had 3 days in a row of 100+ degrees so we're just about done for the summer. We're going to put the chickens in that area for August and Septemeber in hopes that they will take care of aanything that might want to overwinter there.
DeleteEw! I don't do bugs well and I certainly don't squish bugs well. I plan to use Diatomaceous Earth dusted on my plants. I will also look into natural stuff. Bugs are just a fact of life, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteLOL. I know I used to not squish bugs either and I won't squish inside bugs, just the ones on my tomatoes. I've thought about DE but it will kill the good bugs too. And the bees...
DeleteWell, I've never had those bugs attack my tomatoes--others have done the work for them in my garden! Flea beetles sometimes do leaf damage, and slugs will eat holes in them, but other than that we've been pretty tomato pest free. A garden article I read said to grow sunflowers, because the pests like sunflowers. UCDavis Ag. Dept. said to clean up all garden debris well in the fall, so they aren't as likely to overwinter in the garden, and they said an "egg parasitoid (Gryon pennsylvanicum)" can help kill off the baby bugs, but it doesn't help with the adults. Probably handpicking and squishing is the best, if time consuming, way to go. You might try contacting the horticulture dept. of your local state college and see if they have any ideas, or your local Master Gardeners. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Athena. Next year I hope to do a little more companion planting so hopefully that and having the chickens in there for Aug. & Sept. will help with next years bugs.
DeleteYour basket of tomatoes looks wonderful. I am so missing having a garden but now that I have a little extra time on my hands I did manage to start a few plants here and there. Hopefully I’ll be able to start a fall garden which will make up for what we are missing out on.
ReplyDeleteI know it's hard when you're used to gardening to not have a garden. Wish we lived closer and I could share with you.
ReplyDelete