Q: For the first time in 20 years of gardening, I’ve been invaded by Mexican bean beetles. They stripped my bean plants, then the squash plants, then cucumbers, and then the sunflowers. How can I prevent them next year? Jim Handy, email
A: There is no way to prevent them. But you can forestall a big population buildup by keeping a sharp eye out for their eggs when your beans are young. The eggs are orange-yellow, similar in size to a grain of rice, and found in clusters on the undersides of bean leaves. At this point, you can mash them with your gloved fingers. If unmolested, the eggs hatch into bright yellow, bristly things that are beetle larvae. Both larvae and adults feed on squash, bean and pea leaves, leaving large, tattered holes in the leaves. Adults closely resemble a lady beetle. They have eight black spots on each wing. You might also spot squash beetles and larvae. They have seven wing spots. The control of both insect adults is the same: garden insecticide.
Q: We have oakworms in a large tree that overhangs our concrete patio. Their excrement stains our entire patio a dark brown. Is there a preemptive spray? Frances Fite, email
A: This is a tough one. It is difficult to prevent caterpillars because they develop from eggs and nothing you do will prevent oakworm moths from laying eggs.
The organic caterpillar poison B.t. (Caterpillar Attack, Caterpillar Master, etc.) is very effective for stopping feeding. but you have to get it on the leaves while small caterpillars are eating. Mature caterpillars are unaffected. B.t. is quickly broken down by sunshine and oxygen. You can’t spray it more than a couple of days in advance. Oak caterpillars vary widely in their occurrence so next year you might have no problem. Wait a few weeks and hire someone to bleach and power-wash your patio.
Q: In our local park, there are several hummingbirds that are always flying a couple of feet above the grass. What are they doing? Grey East, email
A: We think of them as nectar feeders, but hummingbirds also enjoy eating small insects. It’s how they get protein, fats and fiber. Aphids, gnats, mosquitoes and spiders are favorites. They sometimes hang out near the sap wells made by sapsucker woodpeckers to pluck sap-feeding insects. To enhance hummingbird feeding, make a slurry of fruit, mashed banana and a bit of cake batter, mixing it to a consistency of thick brownie dough. Spread the slurry directly on tree branches or trunks. Insects will come to feed on the slurry, and hummingbirds will feed on the swarm.
Walter’s email address is georgiagardener@yahoo.com. Listen to his comments at 6:35 a.m. on “Green and Growing with Ashley Frasca” Saturday mornings on 95.5 WSB. Visit his website, www.walterreeves.com, or join his Facebook Page at bit.ly/georgiagardener, for his latest tips.
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