I decided to take a break from writing this morning and went outside to stroll along the Meadow. James joined me later. YIKES! Together, we saw that the dratted/hated/despised/argh coreopsis leaf beetle (Phaedon desotonis) are returning with a vengeance.
Do a search on my blog, and you'll see why I hate them so much. When they're out of control, they DECIMATE OUR GREENTHREAD! James wanted to spray them all. Nope, can't do that. But what SHOULD I do? I tried a little vinegar-and-water spray, but that hurts other plants and critters. So I returned to my slow method of killing them, which plays into their defense behavior (they drop off plants whenever you try to nab'em).
Armed with a bowl of soapy water, I sweep my hand across the vegetation, and some (not all) drop into my bowl of death. I'm not eradicating all of them, but I figure I'm eating into their population numbers and reproduction rates (I found a few larvae, too). I'll go back out periodically and continue my efforts. Phooey on them!
Below is a photo of the total end catch for today.
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment