permaculture

[be417@freenet.carleton.ca (Robert W. Tom)]

on Sat Jun 22 00:58:16 1996
blissv@nmhu.campus.mci.net (Vicki Garland) wrote:
re: flea beetles..

[ snipped & pasted ]

>    ...Does anyone have any ideas for getting rid of flea beetles?  
>    They riddle the leaves of bok choi, mizuna, arugula, chinese cabbage

Hi Vicki (and other PC-heads);

Thanks for your "Gardening with Vicki" post a few days ago. I enjoyed it.

Have you tried Insecticidal Dusts ? I've used wood ashes and bone meal and
it seems to help to reduce the damage. A woman once recommended a foliar
spray of manure tea, but I haven't tried that yet.

Although it may not be an option for you in the US Southwest, planting in
early spring/autumn so that the brassicas only see cool weather seems to
help as well.

There is a discussion of "Neem-oil extracts" ( marketed as Margosan-O in
the US) which has proven effective in the excellent book:

          Common-Sense Pest Control
          Least-toxic solutions for your home, garden, pets and community
          by Helga & William Olkowski, Sheila Daar

along with a discussion of how the insecticidal dusts work.

Bon chance.

--
Rob  Tom
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be417@FreeNet.Carleton.ca
Kanata,  Ontario,  Canada