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  • From: "Wyatt Jones" <wyatt_jones AT netzero.com>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Surround and Naturalis
  • Date: Sun, 9 Aug 2009 11:43:45 -0400

If Surround does so well on flea beetles with brassicas, I wonder how it would do on Eggplant.  I don't seem to have any problem with them on brassicas but they seem to love the eggplant.  Been covering them but its a pain taking it up to till and cut weeds all the time as I have some pretty prolific weeds here.  It says you can use it on fruiting vegetables which would include eggplant, just wondering how well.
 
Also wondering what people use organically for corn borers, I have some Naturalis but I've never used it though it says it is good for a whole slew of pest problems.  It does have some warnings not to get it on your skin or inhale it but that seems like common sense.  Its active ingredient is a fungus, beauveria bassiana, that occurs naturally in the ground that the foliar pests have no immunity to.
 
Here is the descriptions I've found

Beauveria bassiana is a fungus which causes a disease known as the white muscadine disease in insects. When spores of this fungus come in contact with the cuticle (skin) of susceptible insects, they germinate and grow directly through the cuticle to the inner body of their host. Here the fungus proliferates throughout the insect's body, producing toxins and draining the insect of nutrients, eventually killing it. Therefore, unlike bacterial and viral pathogens of insects, Beauveria and other fungal pathogens infect the insect with contact and do not need to be consumed by their host to cause infection. Once the fungus has killed it's host, it grows back out through the softer portions of the cuticle, covering the insect with a layer of white mold (hence the name white muscadine disease). This downy mold produces millions of new infective spores that are released to the environment.

Beauveria is a naturally occurring fungus in soils throughout the northeast (and the world!), and has been researched for control of soil borne insects (e.g. the May beetle in Europe, the Argentine stem weevil in New Zealand). Many soil insects, however, may have a natural tolerance to this pathogen, which is not exhibited in many foliar pests. Therefore, commercial development of this fungus for biological control has primarily been targeted against foliar feeding pests.

I haven't had any problems with corn borers yet but want to be prepared.  Has anybody used this stuff?  Seems like a decent organic pesticide as long as one wears a respirator and covers their body while spraying  and taking a shower after but experience is the best judge.  Also it seems that the fungus would spread and help keep pests down on a continuing basis by spreading spores.  One thing that I wonder about is if it also kills beneficials.  If I use it I'll probably just spray silks to keep out corn borers unless I have some other bad pest problem.  Right now the only pests I've had problems with are groundhogs, which I've been shooting and seem to have under control now, rabbits, which the coyotes seem to keep under control, mice.  The worst problem I have now is my neighbors dogs, which tear up my irrigation equipment and biotelo.   I've repeatedly called animal control but I still catch them out there at night and the guy should know better as a retired sheriff but he seems to think he is exempt from the law though I think he should be fined for letting them out at night which hasn't been effective if its happened except that I don't see them in the daytime anymore.   I need a fence but I can't afford it at the moment.  I don't have any real problems with wildlife, at least so far so I would be ok except for those dogs.  They have cost me quite a bit and I might take my other neighbors advice and shoot them if it keeps up, its legal here but I'd like to avoid that if at all possible.  They are pretty bold and aggressive and the law in this county says they have to be restrained or under voice control on the owners property at all times, which they aren't.  Raccoons are supposed to be a problem around here but I've not had problems with them although they are around.  There was a distemper outbreak around here a few years ago which decimated their numbers.  I've have caught a few though and seen tracks.  The neighbors want to shoot the coyotes but I want them around, pretty good environmentally sound pest control for me and they cause me no problems whatsoever aside from waking me up at night once in a while. I rarely even see anything but tracks from them and never in the beds, they seem to know better.

Wyatt

Jamestown, Ohio



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