Help, Gang! Should I kill bugs before planting?

13 years ago

I just came inside after pulling out all the tomatoes (biggest and best root systems I have EVER seen on tomatoes. Roots went out 4 feet from the plant, at least!) Also pulled up butternut squash and zucchini. They were mostly dead after being ravaged by bugs.

Y'all know I have battled squirrels in the tomatoes and bugs in the squash. My plan now is to plant some cilantro and some bright lights kale. Also moving asparagus (carefully -- I just planted it this spring, so it shouldn't be too hard to move.) THe asparagus can have a permanent home in the raised beds.

My question is this: The side of the beds that had the squash is now crawling with little yellow and black ladybug-like beetles AND stink bugs. Do I need to somehow kill those guys before planting anything there? I tried squashing a bunch of them, but there are so many!!!!!! SHould I sprinkle sevin on the soil a few times, then plant in a couple of weeks?

What do you guys think? Thank you!!!!!!!

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Comments (4)

Iris GW
13 years ago
Keep in mind that a) bugs can be really specific about what they eat so these bugs might not bother your new crops, and b) some bugs are beneficial and help you fight other bugs so killing beneficial bugs actually can make it worse.

That said, hopefully GGG will come along with some specific advice (I don't do veggies).
bagsmom
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, Esh! I am getting to be an "I don't do veggies" person too. (But I'm sure, come January, my bad gardening year will be a distant memory, and I'll be ready to try again. Sigh.)

I'm planting cilantro and kale now, in the other bed. Took out those lovely 'maters. I'm sure the squirrels will be sad.
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girlgroupgirl
13 years ago
The beetles, which look like lady bugs are squash bugs. They like squash, sometimes cukes depending on the cuke leaf and that's pretty much it (tiny red ones like that are bean beetles). I've personally never had a stink bug bother my fall vegetables, but I never know. One year they thought yard long beans were all the rage. This year they land on every tomato in the main garden, but apparently dislike anything in the temporary garden? So go figure? I doubt they will like your leafy greens though. They tend to like squishy things with some "give" (such as almost but not totally ripe tomatoes) that they can stick a probiscus in and suck. Annoyingly.... grrmmmm

For your own piece of mind you can plant and put some Diamotaceous earth down, but I bet in a day or two your bugs will have vacated the premises for greener pastures (but don't send them here!!!)

What's this about cold winter frosts killing bugs. We had a cold winter, this is the worst bug year (ants, cockroaches, palmetto bugs, stink bugs....) ever.
bagsmom
Original Author
13 years ago
I had a sadistic moment yesterday..... After pulling up the butternut and zucchini, the bed was crawling with displaced stinkbugs. There were tons of them, in various ages and stages of development. (Mom, Dad, the kids, Aunt Mabel, Uncle Joe.....) I had fun squashing a bunch of them, then went about some other gardening business. i planted my seeds, then watered. I had the hose in my hand and happened to look up at the trellis on the end of the raised bed.
There, balanced on the upper edge, were about 30 stink bugs! I smiled, turned the hose sprayer from gentle shower to super-sonic jet -- and blasted them all to kingdom come.

GGG -- yes, so MANY bugs! I did notice some cardinals and wrens in the veggies, getting the bugs, but they didn't eat enough!