Consolidated Kansas

[Frizzled Pink]

organic pest controls

Neem oil--READ DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY

also for squash bug and their eggs already laid on plants--wrap duct tape inside out around your hand and "pat" affected plant parts--takes all the unhatched bug eggs off your plant

 

[cherwill]

What do you all use to kill squash bugs and cucumber beetles? We were using diatomaceous earth and that worked well for a long time, but eventually they took over. Ruined my vines. We try to go organic, but I was ready to spray deadly toxins on those suckers this year!

I haven't found anything that kills them. I'm not willing to use the chemical pesticides on my food, which would probably take care of the cucumber beetles. I don't know anyone who has found anything that will kill squash bugs, natural or otherwise. They're notoriously difficult to wipe out. We stomp the bugs, which are usually found at the base of the plant, and pick off and remove from the site any leaves with eggs on them. The eggs are on the undersides of the leaves, and they don't squish. Eventually, we are still overrun by them. We just hope to get lots of produce off the plant before the bugs completely kill it. We've tried the diluated dish soap, the neem (read the instructions, because you can't use it after a certain point or you're not supposed to eat the squash), the picking and squishing. Nothing works in the end.

I think cucumber beetles are wiping out my fall planting of wax beans.

I think I am ready to try to let my chickens free range in the evening with me with them! Will they know how to find their run/coop when the time comes, once they are in the yard? Or will i need to cath them and put them back? I did it when my orignal chicks where younger and easy to get back.

I can't remember how old your birds are. When mine were somewhere between teen and adult, I still had to put them in for about a week before they figured it out. When they're older, or if they have older birds to show them, they seem to catch on faster.

 

[HEChicken]

I can't imagine not being plagued by them. I've never had a garden with any kind of vine that didn't get squash bugs.

Oh well, that's it then! I don't grow things that grow on vines, because I don't like how much they spread out, so I stick to things like tomatoes, peppers, greens (kale, chard, collards etc). I did plan to do zucchini this year since that does stay in a nice little bush without spreading so much, but I didn't get around to planting.

Josie if you want goats that don't escape as much get Boers, they're heavier goats so they don't jump as much as other breeds. I know HEChicken is saying hers won't stay in, but they do like to be with people. I guess the reason mine haven't gotten out of their pen is that I let them out every day & put them back in the pen at night. They do like to come up closer to where we are. It's really funny because if I go down to the front 5 acres for something they will come along because they think they're dogs & they follow the GPs. But when I get ready to go back on the other side of the gate I hear Penny yelling for me & here she comes trotting back up. Patches will follow because neither one likes to be left alone.

I should probably clarify. We have a pen where we can put the goats and they do stay in there. But we wanted them out grazing our pasture with the sheep, and its the pasture they won't stay in. If we don't put them in their pen, they squeeze out of the pasture fence to come up to the house and be closer to us. We really don't mind as they are very well-behaved up at the house, and like Trish said, they are very friendly and hang out with the dogs half the time. If we really wanted to keep them in we could put them back in their pen and they would stay there, but we've grown to like having them up by the house with us. They are very cute with their antics, and very friendly and curious so we kind of like 'em

. What I prefer about the boers compared to the dairy breeds like the nubians as they are much less likely to jump on your cars and climb onto places they shouldn't be - they really are a ground-dwelling breed.

 

[ashncarson]

Mine are about 9-10 weeks old now! I am nervous to let them out but I know that they will love it.

 

[Aliaslucyvp]

Cherwill: next year I am going to be using lots of tangle-foot - hoping to stick them to the spot where they can't do any/much harm before they die. Same with the cucumber beetles - they fly to bright yellow - squash-blossom color so I am going to try and hang bright-yellow orange traps up covered with tangle foot - worth a try. The cucumber beetles also carry bacterial wilt that kills plants. Tomato hornworms are at least able to be picked off and fed to hungry waiting chickens!

 

[Aliaslucyvp]

Frizzled - great idea! I'm thinking maybe to use one of those propane "wands" to burn the soil where the plants were this year, too. They say the bugs winter over. Evil things!

 

[sharol]

Coop cleaning done! I rearranged the furniture (as Chooks Chick says) for the new babies.

Before (from door facing SE.)


After, same location.


Before, (from door facing SW)


After:



Before (from rear facing NW)

After:


Before (facing NE)

After:



I moved the feeding station to the East wall, and I moved the nest boxes to the West wall. I also constructed an additional roost on the west side with a ramp for access to it (like on the other side.

 

[Frizzled Pink]

Frizzled - great idea! I'm thinking maybe to use one of those propane "wands" to burn the soil where the plants were this year, too. They say the bugs winter over. Evil things!

Yes burning that area or you can pour boiling water over that area and cover with clear plastic to "solar cook" the soil will also eliminate bacterias

 

[HEChicken]

Wow - great job Sharol!

 

[Trish44]

Wow sharol, you can come do mine now, lol. I'm trying to get to my main coop some time this week if I can. Today I was working on adding extra wire to my breeder coop doors to make them more secure because they're covered in 2x4 fencing. I also started on putting up another pen, but I need 2x4s to build a panel with to close it off on the side. I'm planning to make this new pen my growout pen & use the bigger pen for my Silver laced Wyandottes & my NH cockerel when I get him home. I'm thinking about moving my small dog run that is up by the main coop down where there is more shade, but that is only if we can get it in the back of the truck to get if moved. It has been in a really hot sunny spot & it would be much better if it was down under the trees like the rest of the pens.

I'm still pretty tired from the last two days, so I'm kind of being a couch potato tonight. I hope I have more energy tomorrow so I can get some things done.