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  • From: Shawnee Flowerfarmer <farmingflowers AT hotmail.com>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] row covers and flea beetles
  • Date: Sat, 16 May 2009 21:41:33 -0500

I love the idea below also and will try it this season.  I have had some good results using diatomaceaous earth..animal grade... on flea beetles with these disadvantages: must be reapplied after dew and rain which is a nuisance to do while using row cover and it is non-discriminating...killing the good guys also.  I did seem notice a decrease in the beetle population when beneficial insect strip plantings were nearby.
Shawnee, hunkered down against possible frost tonight in zone 5

> From: wshoemak AT illinois.edu
> To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Date: Fri, 15 May 2009 09:22:42 -0500
> Subject: Re: [Market-farming] row covers and flea beetles and white-on-black mulch
>
> Lucy
>
> That's a great idea, a perfect example of an effective non-chemical strategy that takes advantage of the insect's behaviour. I'd never heard of that one. Have you ever tried it with cucumber beetles?
>
> Bill
>
>
> >Allan,
> >
> >you do need to get the row covers on as soon as you seed/set out
> >transplants. if you are direct seeding the bed than put the cover on
> >with no hoops. this will aid germination greatly. As soon as the
> >seeds start to germinate put hoops up under the cover. the next step
> >is to make sticky traps out of water bottles or quart yogurt tubs (or
> >anything else that can hold water and has a lid). Smear tanglefoot on
> >the water filled container (it is not easy or pleasant to fill
> >containers already stickified) than place them ever 4' of so in the
> >row. This should eradicate all flea beetles from the bed in about 2
> >days. the way this works is the water heats up in the container
> >during the day and at night the flea beetles (and any other insect
> >under the cover) is attracted to the warmth and gets stuck to the
> >container. I have been doing this for the past 12 or so years with my
> >arugula, eggplant, mizuna, etc with incredible success.
> >
> >
> >
> >All that said I am off to make sticky traps as I have noticed the
> >arugula is getting a bit holy.
> >
> >
> >On May 15, 2009, at 7:00 AM, Allan Balliett wrote:
> >
> >> I'd like to grow a decent crop of rapini for the CSA this early
> >> summer.
> >>
> >> Flea beetles are a big problem for us.
> >>
> >> My early experiments with row cover and flea beetles gave me crops
> >> that were devoured by flea beetles when I finally lifted the row
> >> cover. For this reason, I've remained dubious.
> >>
> >> But I hear so many proclaim the benefits of row cover that I'm ready
> >> to try again.
> >>
> >> One error I apparently made was that I didn't put the row covers on
> >> on the day of seeding. Is this a necessity? In an area of the garden
> >> known to have flea beetles is bare soil/worked soil enough to repel
> >> them for a while or do you spray a repellant or insecticide on the
> >> bare soil before putting on the row cover?
> >>
> >> I have a roll of the white-on-black plastic mulch that I've never
> >> used. I'm wondering if those of you who use it think it w.b. a good
> >> plastic to use with a row covered raab/rapini planting. (I'm
> >> concerned about leaving the row cover on until harvest, so I don't
> >> want to have to worry about weeds.
> >>
> >> And, do I have it straight on this white-on-black plastic mulch? It
> >> really will COOL the soil rather than heat it, thereby prolonging the
> >> non-bolting life of brassicas grown on it?
> >>
> >> Thanks for listening.
> >>
> >> -Allan in WV
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Market-farming mailing list
> >> Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
> >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming
> >>
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >Market-farming mailing list
> >Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
> >http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming
> >
> William H Shoemaker, UI-NRES
> Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
> St Charles Horticulture Research Center
> 535 Randall Road St Charles, IL 60174
> 630-584-7254; FAX-584-4610
> _______________________________________________
> Market-farming mailing list
> Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
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