Pests | Better Hens and Gardens

Squash Bugs

The zucchini looks like it’s doing great this year – right?

It looks so nice and lush – but at a closer look, there are squash bugs hiding in there!

What are squash bugs? Well, they’re brownish black, about 3/4″ – 1″ long, and they feed on vining crops like squash, pumpkins, and melons. As you can see, they cause the plant to wilt and eventually die. They’re generally found wherever these vining crops are grown. Ugly, aren’t they?

Organic controls for squash bugs include planting other varieties that repel them (obviously I didn’t do enough of that) such as marigold, nasturtium, and radish. Garden sanitation and weed [...]

Continue reading Squash Bugs

Controllng Potato Beetles

Adult Potato Beetle

Almost overnight, they’ve attacked our Yukon Gold potatoes, but thankfully they haven’t found the Purple Viking potatoes, peppers, eggplants, or tomatoes. Every gardener growing potatoes is likely to run into this beetle, as it’s a devastating pest of potatoes. Both the yellow, black-striped adult and the black-spotted, red larvae feed on potato leaves, and can completely consume them thereby greatly reducing tuber yields and even killing plants. The potato beetle can also be a serious pest on tomato, eggplant, and pepper; and the damage is so severe, the beetle must be controlled.

Life Cycle

Adult potato beetles overwinter in [...]

Continue reading Controlling Potato Beetles