What's bugging me? Round two (photos)

17 years ago

So I got rid of the aphid farming ants, removing the bait trap quickly to minimize collateral damage. In the end the lettuce didn't make it (sniff). Onward and upward.

I've been noticing white moths(?) visiting regularly. Sure enough today I found a couple of little caterpillars on the underside of the swiss-cheese-like collards. Squish-a-roonie.

After dispatching the caterpillars, I noticed lots of these little critters, again on the undersides of the collards. Aphids?

Not a pest, but this little fellow wouldn't leave me alone and kept mugging for the camera. It's amazing what nature can come up with.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.youtube.com/user/sqftsteve

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Comments (8)

ribbit32004
17 years ago
The moth that you have there is a cabbage moth. It gives you tiny little green wormie like things (very tiny) that chew holes straight through your cole crops. Your leaves will look peppered with holes.

BT will take care of the little green wormie things.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Corner Yard
engineeredgarden
17 years ago
steve - agree with ribbit on the moth. The others are bad pests, and should be exterminated. One looks like a spider mite. Your camera rocks!!!

EG
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rachel597
17 years ago
Wow! Those are incredible pictures!!!

The only one I recognize are the already identified Cabbage Moth. The others....creepy dudes that look like they are having a ball among your collard leaves.

Sorry, not much help here....but I am in awe at your photography :)

Rachel
GrafixMuse's Garden Spot
lowraine
17 years ago
I am impressed at your ability to post the pics. Good luck getting rid of the pest.
jengc
17 years ago
I have nothing to add but YUUUCCCCKKKK!!! I would die if I saw those on my plants. I have many spiders (yucky yuck yuck) but I have heard they are good for the garden so I leave them be even with my arachnophobia. lol

Here is a link that might be useful: Jen's Victory Garden Blog
katy_f
17 years ago
I wish someone would identify those two mystery bugs, because I have the same ones on my squash and zucchini!

Kind of off-topic, but I thought having ants in the vegetable garden were supposed to help...As in, they supposedly eat bad bugs. But if they are "farming" the aphids (which I've always heard about), isn't that BAD? Dear me, I can't decide if I should get rid of them or let them stay...
jengc
17 years ago
No. I read in another thread that ants are good for the garden as long as they are not harming any plants.

By the way, hey katy f!! I am in Middle TN too!

Here is a link that might be useful: Jen's Victory Garden Blog
sqftsteve
Original Author
17 years ago
Katy,

We have lots of different ants in the planters, and I've come to embrace them (ok, not embrace them, but at least leave them alone). But this one single square of lettuce had this aphid/ant problem. I put out a bait trap in that square, just until those ants disappeared, then I removed it. So far I haven't seen any collateral damage among the more well-behaved ants in the planter.