February 11, 2009
I’ve been noticing that aphids have decided to hang out on my little pepper plants that I set outside during the day. This morning, I accidentally ran into a very cheap and organic way to get rid of them.
I can’t take any credit for this because I got it directly from gardenguy.com
First, hose off your plants, then mix 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, 2 tablespoons of blue dishwashing liquid (why blue, I’m not sure, maybe to make sure it’s the concentrated type of dishwashing soap) into 1 gallon of water. Put into a clean spray bottle and spritz directly on the plant where the aphids are hanging out.
[ 2 Comments ] Posted on 02.11.09 under Pests
Flying Praying Mantis
October 07, 2008
Why, oh, why do praying mantis’ have to find their way into may house? Did you know they fly? Yes, they fly around and around and around wondering, I’m sure, how in the world it made such a wrong turn into my house.
These are the kind of things that happen when you have a garden 5 feet from your back door, I suppose. Can you picture 5 kids screaming trying to pounce on it while it flies wildly around and around while dive bombing the lamp, me screaming and running for cover and my husband loudly encouraging the kids to catch it.
I think the little guy was finally glad to be caught because he definitely was finding it difficult to locate his point of entrance. I know that I’m glad he’s caught so I don’t have to worry about having a lost praying mantis searching for his way out in my room tonight.
Do y’all have praying mantis’ flying around in your houses or am I the only lucky one that the Lord chooses to send bugs (and really big wolf spiders and lizards rescued from the cat, and hatching tomato hornworm caterpillars, in my house, might I add) to entertain my boys with?
[ 6 Comments ] Posted on 10.07.08 under Home Life, Pests
It happened!
October 01, 2008
Ok, so maybe this isn’t the most exciting news for y’all, but my boys thought it was the most exciting news that they have had in a while. Remember the tomato hornworms that my boys found in my peppers? Well, today is the day that one of them decided to come out of it’s cocoon.
This is the empty cocoon.
And voila, a nasty tomato hornworm moth or whatever it’s new name is.
Tomato hormworms coming to a garden near you.
[ 4 Comments ] Posted on 10.01.08 under From My Garden, Pests
Tomato hornworms in my peppers
September 08, 2008
I had no idea that tomato hornworms liked jalapeno pepper plants. I was glancing over my pepper plants today and I noticed that the tops of my pepper plant leaves were stripped. Upon further investigation, I noticed a big, fat juicy hornworm nearby.
Well, that was the best news that my sons had heard all day. They pounced on the poor thing and now it is captive to their curiosity and has become their new science project for the next month.
A couple of years ago my tomato plants were plagued with the hornworms, 20+ of them, and my boys successfully captured, fed, watched them cocoon, come out of their cocoon and fly away. I’m assuming that is why they have shown up again, but I still couldn’t resist their curiosity. I think I remember over 10 of them actually turning into moths….Did you know that that these little pests bury themselves in the dirt and turn into their chrysalis underground? Did you know that you can get so excited over watching a bunch of kids crowded around a wiggly little chrysalis as the moth starts to come out?
I don’t care how ugly and nasty the little creatures are, it still brings me such joy to see my boys so entertained with the simple things in life…like my garden pests. I guess big, fat, juicy, ugly, nasty tomato hornworms aren’t really so bad…
[ 3 Comments ] Posted on 09.08.08 under From My Garden, Pests
Caterpillars
April 28, 2008
I found big chunks of my leaves eaten off of my sunflowers this morning. There were quite a few of these caterpillars on them. Anyone know what they are? I tried searching online for what they could be, but haven’t found anything.
Some have a little bit of red, like the one in the photo, and the others look just like this one only instead of red, it is yellow and green. They started out in a web with the leaf folded over them. I’ve never seen these before.
My boys are thrilled because the caterpillars have become their new science project. Last year they took the many Tomato Hornworms that plagued my tomatoes and successfully watched them morph into the moths. If my tomatoes are infested with them this year, I’m gonna put a bounty on them and have them snipped in half. 
[ No Comments ] Posted on 04.28.08 under Pests
