Old Git,

I posted this on my earlier thread but was afraid you might not see it.

O.K....I'm calmer now :-)

Took a closer look. I see no evidence of bugs ON the plants, although some of the leaves look chewed up. I pulled out an affected plant and there are small holes in the stem (the portion below the ground) and the tiny, white maggotty looking creaturea are having a field day. I just have a small garden, but it looks like 50% of beans are gone. Some had just started srpouting and had no leaves yet.

I have more bean seeds, but am afraid to plant them and have the same thing happed. Should I pull them all up and treat the soil before replanting? Are hybrids more resistant to pests? (Mine are non-hybrid).

What to do??? (Thanks for the feedback!)

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), May 22, 1999

Answers

Okay, here I am. Just got back on-line. Back in a minute or two. Or ten.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 22, 1999.

It's not the Mexican bean beetle--apparently, the larva is yellow. Looks as if Anita hit on the right answer--it's probably a borer of some kind. Look at this color picture:

http://ipmwww.ncsu.edu/AG271/plates/plate5-b.gif

Is that what you have? Tell me what kind of beans you're growing.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 22, 1999.

Hybrid seeds are not necessairly resistant to chewing and boring insects. They are resistant to blights and various types of wilting.

Wood ashes sprinkled around the garden deter most chewing and boring insects. Next time try some onion sets among your plants or a few smelly flowers. Works like a charm.

-- GeeGee (GeeGee@madtown.com), May 22, 1999.

Old Git -

It looks very similar. Tiny, white and apparently very hungry. Some of the beans had just sprouted and when I looked closely, small holes where visable in the bean bud, nasty little wroms at the base of the stem. Root and lowe stem completey mushy.

They are Blue Lake bushbeans. I pulled out all of the infected ones, sprayed the rest with Sevin and replanted. Will put in some onions tomorrow. My peas, one row over look great, but the cukes are under attack too, I'm afraid.

Should I spray new sprouts with Sevin to discourage future attacks?

Thanks so much, Git and GeeGee.

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), May 22, 1999.

I put straight vinegar in a spray bottle and spray for aphids and other creatures and it works every time!!! It also works great for athletes foot and nail fungus. For nail fungus put your whole hand or foot immersed in vinegar about once a day and it also takes care of any skin fungus problem. Forget the doctors and cure your self!

-- freddie (freddie@thefreeloader.com), May 22, 1999.

Roland...

Mix some diatomaceous earth into the soil and around your plants...

Try the Garrett Juice, it treats the soil to improve it (the healthier your soil, the less problem from pests

GARRETT JUICE: to 1 gallon of water 1-2 cups manure-based compost tea 1 tablespoon molasses 1 tablespoon natural apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon liquid seaweed

for added disease and insect control add: 1/4 cup garlic tea or garlic-pepper tea per gallon of spray

for real tough insects (fire ants & squash bugs) add 1-2 ounces of citrus oil(d-limonene) per gallon spray

Garlic-Pepper Tea: mix the juice of two garlic bulbs and two hot peppers into a gallon of water...use 1/4 cup of the concentrate per gallon of water (or your garrett juice mixture). For added strength, add two tablespoons of vegetable oil to each gallon of sprayer mixture. (Do not use over the recommended amount or you might kill off the beneficial insects.)

Good luck!

-- Texas Terri (DeepInTheHeart@Texas.com), May 22, 1999.

Roland, I think you might benefit from row covers, prevention being better than cure an' all that. It wouldn't be a bad idea to put them on your bean and cuke plants too. Sorry, I just wouldn't resist, have been at the Geritol again. If you look at gardenerssupply.com, they have row covers of all types. You might find them cheaper elsewhere but I really like GS. Neat bamboo tepees for pole beans, too last for years.

Apparently, corn borers like bean plants as well as corn, but usually go for the pods. I guess if they're pressed they'll go for the stalk as an alternative. In any event, if you put row covers on your crops it'll keep out the butterflies and moths that seem to be causing your problems. Obviously, you'll need to remove the covers when the beans/cukes are flowering so they can be pollinated.

Next time you plant hard seeds like beans, try soaking them overnight. Alternatively, soak your seed rows before AND after planting. They'll germinate faster.

Where are you, Roland? Just an area will do, like California desert or something. Gosh, hope you're not there, you should be growing prickly pear and agave instead. If you let me know what area of the country you're in I can better search for what's been at your beans.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 22, 1999.

Freddie,

Thanks for that tip about the vinegar. I can't believe how many uses I have seen for that stuff in the past few months.

Roland,

Diatomaceous earth also works great on anthills. Wiped out several colonies with it. The bugs crawl through it's like sharp glass. Try not to use poison.

-- GeeGee (GeeGee@madtown.com), May 22, 1999.

This sounds like just what you need, Roland! In the Real Goods catalogue I found Milky Spore. The blurb says, ". . . preys on some 47 different varieties of white beetle grubs found in the United States, including Japanese beetle grubs. . . ." True, it's a bit pricy but one can treats 2000 square feet and once you get it in the soil, it stays there, killing those nasties year after year. #54-614, $29.95. Phone 1-800-762-7325 or see realgoods.com. RG also has beneficial nematodes, 2000 sf coverage for $26.95, #54-613.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 22, 1999.

Roland:

The critters infesting your beans are not Japanese Beetle grubs -- those grubs are vastly larger than bean sprout stems. Milky spore won't do a bit of good. The fact that your cukes are also suffering suggests that you need to open a few of their stems as well. If there are borers in your cukes, THEN we can be pretty sure you're looking at Squash Vine Borers (they'll go in other plants besides squash). If your cukes haven't been totally murdered, you can slit the stems just below the entry holes (little circular dots), and take out the worms by hand. Reseal the stems with a little bit of scotch tape, and hope for the best. Once the worms are out, the plants CAN make a decent recovery, though they'll produce about 2 weeks later than they ordinarily would, and the crop will be a mite smaller.

On the other hand, the fact that nearly all your beans are affected suggests that there may have been critter eggs in the seeds themselves.

The answer? Fresh seeds from a different source, and replant. Be sure to burn or thoroughly mash the current crop of beans.

Sorry, buddy. Better to find out now, than a year from now, huh?

Anita Evangelista

-- Anita Evangelista (ale@townsqr.com), May 22, 1999.

Assuming that milky spore would have worked, I understand it does not take hold in areas that are frequently disturbed, like vegetable gardens. I wonder if something like ultrafine oil would be effective against the maggots (obviously not the borers, though). I find that I must resist planting beans too close together - it is harder to see that they have become infected, so I don't react as soon.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), May 22, 1999.

Roland,

Remove the plants! I live in Wisconsin and can plant beans up until the middle of July.

Get Kentucky Wonder beans and plant them in a new location. I have never had a problem with this variety. Don't forget to plant onions or garlic through your whole garden. The smell drives away the bugs.

-- GeeGee (GeeGee@madtown.com), May 22, 1999.

Hey, Freddie What kind of vinegar do you use?

-- Daryll Smallwood (twinck@wfeca.net), May 23, 1999.

Anita -

I think you're right. Clicked through the link Old Git gave me and I'm pretty sure they are Squash Vine Borers. I've replanted and treated with Sevin. I'll keep a closer eye on them this time. Will put in onions today.

Old Git - I'm in Charlotte, NC (a fellow Tar Heel"!), so they new seeds should have plenty of time to grow. Like I said before, this is my first stab at veggie gardening...glad I'm getting the practice this year instead of next.

Thanks so much for everyone's wonderful advice!

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), May 23, 1999.

Oh good, glad Anita got the answer for you. And probably for others too. The Milky Spore does kill many other varieties of white grubs besides Japanese beetles (you said they look like maggots in one post), so I thought they might help. But if they look more like that first photo I referenced, then, sure they must be borers. Haven't had that problem here, what I've had is chipmunks eating the more mature plants! So I put out dried corn for them ("squirel food") and that solved the problem.

But do try those row covers--they're a great non-toxic way of protecting plants--if the seeds themselves aren't infested. Did you look at gardenerssupply.com? They do have some neat stuff.

Forgot you're in Charlotte. I AM an old git you know, you have to remind me of things.

By the way, you might put out shallow containers of water here and there. There's a theory that during a dry spell, critters like squirrels, birds and chipmunks will take your tomatoes and other goodies for the moisture content. Give them water, they'll leave them alone. Can't hurt and the critters will appreciate it anyway. (Check for mosquito larvae about once a week, empty and refill.)

Oh, right, watering. Just had to water the yard Friday. Far, far better to give a thorough watering once a week (of about one inch, measure by putting empty jar out) than frequent short waterings. I use the sprinkler on my yard once a week during hot dry spells, watering pots more. Theory there is roots will push deep into soil to get to the water, leaving them less vulnerable during dry spells. Frequent short waterings results in roots near surface, plants VERY vulnerable.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 23, 1999.

Roland, my heart goes out to you. The last time I planted a garden (before THIS summer) was in Illinois over 10 years ago. I planted pumpkins and had to address those squash-borers EVERY damn day with a knife. I felt my efforts were justified when I saw a pumpkin grow much larger than I expected. Little did I know that squirrels had chewed out completely the side that didn't face me.

This year, I have a mystery garden in Texas. I have done absolutely NOTHING regarding pesticides or fertilizer, but the beans are growing like weeds and taste GREAT. Of course I have onions planted all over the garden. They're very rewarding in that they grow quickly and are easily recognizable.

I'm quite sure my seeds are hybrid. I picked them up at Hypermart for .10/pack. Contrary to popular belief, hybrid seeds DO produce seeds for the next year....at least in SOME species.

Anita

-- Anita Spooner (spoonera@msn.com), May 23, 1999.