[Market-farming] Harlequin Bug Control?

Allan Balliett aballiett at frontiernet.net
Fri May 15 06:25:32 EDT 2009


I should insert in this thread that I've found garlic sprays and 
cedar sprays ineffective in repelling harlequins, even when used 
before an infestation is apparent.

I've also found a highly recommended and expensive product, Mycotrol, 
to be apparently useless in Harlequin control . (It contains fungal 
spores which I was told would attack and destroy Harlequin eggs. I 
use a fogger for applying products like this and feel that I get 
extremely good coverage on all plant surfaces.) Worse, this product, 
which sells for $129 a qt, has stability problems which causes some 
containers of it to solidify, and therefor be unusable, through no 
fault of the user. Mine solidified in the middle of the Harlequin 
season. (Which, this year, appears that it will be ALL season.) I 
purchased mine from Arbico Organics, who, although they acknowledged 
manufacturing problems with mycotrol, would not stand behind it and 
pushed me off to the distributor.  The unfortunate thing about this 
experience was that Arbico was very high handed in handling my 
complaint and when the distributor asked them to replace my product, 
they simply stopped responding to me email or to my calls. (Which 
reminds me, the nematods I purchased from them for flea beetle 
control had no observable effect on flea beetle populations, either.)

Right now, I'm seeing some Harlequins on Canadian thistle. Could it 
be that something very good is going to come of this entire Harlequin 
issue?

-Allan in WV



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