This is war: getting rid of the bugs eating my food

[Well-Prepared Witch]

This morning I've been doing some research on how to control bugs. They've been awful in our garden this year and we've lost so much food to Japanese beetles (killed our potatoes), squash bugs (they completely killed our zucchini and are trying to do the same to our pumpkins), carrot fly, cabbage worms (destroyed broccoli and Brussels sprouts), cucumber beetles and more! One of the things that can help control all of these is nematodes - tiny, microscopic worms that eat the grubs and the bugs. They're safe for bees and other beneficial insects, plus they're 100% safe for humans, pets, chickens, etc. I'm going to apply every fall and spring going forward - and save a little of the application for our houseplants to get rid of the fungus gnats that came in on the potting soil we got. I settled on the variety in the link for this post because it has three different kinds of nematode that attack different bugs. 

https://smile.amazon.com/Million-Live-Beneficial-Nematodes-Different/dp/B01I0HL5GW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473681089&sr=8-1&keywords=B01I0HL5GW

I'm also going to install floating row covers on the beds (though I'm not quite sure how I will use those for the stuff I'm not growing in raised beds, like next year's Three Sisters experiment).

https://smile.amazon.com/Agfabric-Protection-Blanket-Garden-Floating/dp/B011BEMAG0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473680781&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=floating+row+cover&psc=1

I'll report back and let you know how it works.  What are your go-to pest controls?

[Nemo]

Moved to Va and into a house trailer owned by wife's cousin.  Major ant problem developed here.  Tried all kinds of stuff  and I mean all kinds to get rid of them.

Read a internet report on borax.  Plain old 20 mule team.  Put it 1 to 3 with sugar and moist on paper towels.  And the ants were gone in a day or so.  2-3 days later they were back and mules were released and stomped them again.  1 day and the mules retired.

Have seen no ants since.  About 6 or so weeks back.

I do not know if it would/could/should help in the garden but its another thing to google.

Nemo

[JoJo]

WPW I read something on the net and thought of you and your slug problem. It was a way to keep slugs out of your garden. Save your egg shells and break them up into little pieces and spread them around the garden. It seems the slugs don't like to crawl over them and there is no cost to you. You might have to eat a bunch of eggs though.

[Well-Prepared Witch]

I'll have to give that a go, JoJo!  Egg shells I have.

[Rogue-Metalsmith]

Hey guys

I know this is an old post.
But i have to share this.
No insectisides except maybe roundup works as ridiculously well as coarse salt.
Be carefull not to throw it to close to your valuable plants you want to protect though.
Here in SA we have an extreme variety of bugs and pesty weeds that bug crops, my grandfather was a farmer for many years and he told me one day, for a small garden for your house if you don't want to use insectisides , use coarse salt, it drives away bugs ,slugs and all manner of critters and it kills weeds!
Low and behold, coarse salt works like a bomb.

On a side note, chickens in a moveable coop seem to bug them enough so they vacate.

In case you want to kill a patch of grass and no longer want anything to grow in that spot-on paving for example,around your fence for ground clearance and safety this also works well.... use Jeyece fluid
We clean our cement floor in our washroom with a bucket full of water and a few dabs of jeyes fluid, when we keep our dogs indoors, gets rid of odd smells and so on afterwards aswell.(Do not keep your dogs indoors when cleaning with it-not advised)

Well that is my 5cents worth on the subject
 

[JohnyMac]

Great stuff R-M.

I wish someone would start a subject line on movable chicken coups.