Mexican Bean Beetles

For some reason I thought all lady bugs were good bugs. Unfortunately, there are a few lady bugs that are very destructive to plants. One of them is the Mexican Bean Beetle.  The adult is a yellow to copper color and has 16 black spots on it.  In the garden right now I have found the larva feeding on leaves but not the adult or the eggs even though I know they are there since I've found the larva. So here are two links to show what those forms look like.

This links shows the adult, larva and pupa stages of Mexican Bean Beetles. This link shows eggs through adult stages of development for the Mexican Bean Beetle.

Good lady bug larva
     You really DO want larva that looks like this in your bed! They look mean and fierce but they are not harmful to humans, only other insects. This lady bug larva is a very beneficial predator since it eats aphids and other bad bugs. You need to be careful not to spray pesticides on them because you don't want to kill them.

Good lady bug larva

Bad lady bug larva ie Mexican Bean Beetle
When the leaves of your beans start getting spots that are skeletonized, look on the undersides of the leaves for what is eating them. Just as with the squash bugs, you need to look on the undersides of all the leaves to find and remove the the bad critters.

Bean leaves that have been eaten

 

More than likely you will find a larval form that looks like this (see picture below). They don't sting which means you can just pick them off by hand if you don't have too many. Be sure and take them home and throw them in the trash at home. Or if you enjoy squishing them, do it on a hard surface.

Just as an FYI.....squishing bugs in loose mulch doesn't always kill them. There is too much give in the mulch. You really need a solid hard surface like a rock or a piece of wood.

Mexican bean beetle larva

If you have a bad infestation you need to be very diligent about spraying insecticidal soap, Azamax or Neem oil on them. Be sure to get the undersides of every leaf and spray way down into the plant so every surface is coated. Even then you will have to pay close attention to keep them under control because it is very hard to get an entire stand of beans sprayed properly.

Pollinators in the Garden

To celebrate National Pollinator week, I spent quite a bit of time chasing bees, beetles, wasps and flies in the garden trying to take their pictures.  It was interesting how few honeybees I actually saw in the garden doing their job. They aren't missing, they just prefer the clover that is blooming in the grass. But don't worry, we do have lots of pollinators working in the garden! 

Most vegetables need something to pollinate their flowers
to form fruit. This tomato obviously has had a visitor or two.

One of the hardest working insects in the garden are the
 bumblebees. Sunday I found them pollinating squash,
 cucumber, tomato, pepper, artichoke and okra flowers.

Notice the pollen sacs on the legs of this bee! It has already visited quite a few flowers
to gather this much pollen. Can you find the tiny little pollinator in this picture? 



Pollen is dusted over the entire body of this bumblebee! It was fun
 watching it circle around and around the artichoke flower and crawl
through the flower gathering as much nectar and pollen as it could.

 

A lady bug (also known as a lady beetle) was busy
inside a cucumber flower.

This sunflower had quite a few different species of native
 bees and wasps busily working away on it. .

Passion vines provide nectar for butterflies and are also a host plant for Gulf Fritillary caterpillars.
Look at the far left of the picture and you can see a  caterpillar  hard at work eating the leaves of the plant.

Two native bees flying in to visit the onion flowers. It really is amazing how many insects
 utilize the them. Next year I'm going to plant onions in the pollinator border just so
 they will flower and attract more pollinators to the garden.

What a Wonderful Few Days at the Garden!

Hey Everyone,

What a wonderful few days it has been at the garden.  So many have been out working on their beds, visiting, and volunteering their time.  We are rapidly becoming a wonderful community and it is such a pleasure to garden among each of you.  A special shout out to our young visitors on Friday.  Eli, Lily, and Josh all made my day so enjoyable and you are welcome to visit our garden anytime.  Thank you so much for helping our new gardeners prepare their bed and placing compost in Miss Nancy's bed.  She is very grateful for your help!  Eli, please keep me posted on your mantis egg case.  I cannot wait to see how they do for you.  Lily, I plan on releasing ladybugs in the garden within the next week or two and if you are down for helping, make sure I have your contact information and I will let you know when.  Maybe Miss Vicki will even help us!  Pretty Please, Miss Vicki?

Yes, these are actually chillin'
in my fridge!
Yikes!

On a side note for gardeners - two items.

• Just a friendly reminder to let everyone know that the shed and front gate have been found open on several occasions in the last couple of weeks.  If you are in the garden, please be sure and lock up.  It would also be nice to stroll by and check to be sure that the shed is locked in case someone else has forgotten.  Thanks so much for your help while we all get in the routine!      

Newly hatched mantis's on oregano!
These were Fred & Wilma
a few hours after birth!
They are in the lower right quadrant.

• Part of gardening organically requires the utilization of beneficial insects in the garden to assist in keeping undesirable pests to a minimum.  Ladybugs are wonderful to have around as they feed on small soft-bodied insects with a voracious appetite.  The first release will be to assist us in building numbers before aphids arrive.  Subsequent releases will follow.  I also have praying mantis egg cases in incubation for future releases. If anyone has young children or grandchildren this is a wonderful way to have them involved and be a garden helper.  

        Bugs are cool!  

Have a great start to the week!

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Warm Weather next 10 days

Hey Everyone,
   We are going to be having exceptionally warm weather for the next 10 days and it is going to be exceptionally dry as well. True, 2 days call for showers (30% and 40%) but you know that doesn't really mean it WILL rain and if it does rain it might not be very much. Therefore, supplemental watering will be necessary.

  If you water deeply and thoroughly every couple of days when you water you don't have to go quite as frequently. It is also better for the plants to really water good.   I'm going to be going down to the garden to water every 2 days so the plants aren't as stressed and susceptible to bug attack.

  Speaking of bugs, watch your veggies, especially the undersides of leaves because this warm weather will also cause lots of bugs to hatch out and go for the yummy greens. There are some weird looking critters on the plants right now but they are good critters. Lady bug beetles have funny looking larva but don't kill them because if you do you have destroyed a very beneficial aphid predator.

Here is a link to lady bugs if you want more information about them:  Lady Bugs - adults and larva pictures

 

Jane has a nice lady bug larva on her brussel sprouts

  Also, anyone with carrots or parsley needs to be on the watch for swallowtail caterpillars. That cold weather we had did NOT kill them off.  Susan (Bed 18) and I (Bed 41) have been removing caterpillars this past week. Instead of smashing them, just put them in the bluebird feeder by the birdbath to feed the bluebirds.

 

This one has grown quite a bit. When they are small they are mostly black, without

 the yellow and white spouts you see on this one.

 

  Enjoy the beautiful weather!

          Vicki