As if the drought was not bad enough the bugs are bad, bad bugs, not so many of the good ones. Grasshoppers are eating what is still alive and I also have some cucumber beetles and lots of white flies. I decided to bring in some pest control my smallest chickens, Isabella (black) and Fernando ( white). They are enjoying getting out and have not scratched up anything yet. I would like to let the guineas into the garden but it would be very hard to let them in without letting in all the chickens.
For the whiteflies I am using yellow sticky traps, good bugs are not so attracted to yellow. I need to get them under control before everything goes back into the greenhouse, they were bad in there last winter and I lost a few plants to them. They seem to be even more of a problem this year, the must like the dry weather. Whiteflies have developed a resistance to chemical powders and sprays and they say the bast way to deal with them is with predator bugs like lacewings and ladybugs. I bought some ladybug lures to try and get them to come to my garden but have not put them out yet. I will report on how well they work
My name is Pat and I have been gardening most of my life. My husband Richard helps out with the heavy stuff. I love butterflies and have a Monarch Waystation. I also love animals and have cats, dogs, horses, angora goats, chickens and guineas.