I'm not a market grower, but I figure anyone here who is trying to grow lots of these for a profit might be able to advise me.
We have been battling harlequin beetles (bugs) on all of our cole crops. We've been trying to stay organic and sprayed thrice with neem/pyrethrin/rotenone (not sure which was used as I am not the spray-er). Nothing has worked. We had to sacrifice all our broccoli and brussels sprouts to the trash bin and now the remaining colorful b*st*rds are after the new raab and kale.
We're covering the remaining bed, but I'd like to know how to prevent them from gaining a foothold next year and if there is anything that can destroy these buggers. I did read that Maryland growers lost much of their crop to this pest.
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Growers of cole crops--how to get rid of harlequins?
harlequins dont show up until august around here and i try to avoid their season. Supposedly insecticidal soaps, sabadilla and pyrethrum are effective. they overwinter in garden trash (old plants). you can control them by destroying their eggs that are found in early spring on the undersides of early blooming plants. i have not been able to control them and the best i can do is to hand pick as many as i can. some of what i wrote here was from The Encyclopedia of Natural Insect and Disease Control that was published in 1984 by the Rodale Press.
RE: Growers of cole crops--how to get rid of harlequins?
