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curlietop_gw

pill bugs.

curlietop
13 years ago

Ok, how do you get rid of these voracious pests! If the fruit is on the ground they infest it. They seem to be everywhere. My cantelope & watermelon have taken over my rather large garden. Even though there are only 3mounds all

together, the leaves are so thick they are chocking each other out. The blooms are prolific and the vines are crawling out over the fence but the fruit (if I can find it) is few & far between. And will yellow squash cross pollinate with zuchinni?

Comments (7)

  • armymomma
    13 years ago

    Not sure what type you are growing, but in my limited experience, melons will normally only put out a few per vine, although you get tons of blossoms.

    As for the pill bugs...I checked my Texas Gardening book and it says you can use a garlic/pepper tea on them effectively.

  • dragonfly_wings
    13 years ago

    Pill bugs are natural composters, so they serve a useful purpose. If their only crime in your garden/yard is eating fallen fruit, you might simply pick the fruit a little earlier before it drops. There are organic solutions to help control them if they are actually destroying plants (usually just young transplants). Otherwise, consider just letting them do their job.

    Here's what the Natural Gardener site has to say:

    The Pill Bug will gnaw at the base of a seedling or a new transplant. Once the seedling or transplant is established, the pill bug will generally leave the plant alone, so you need to be diligent about protection for only a short period of time. First for pill bug control keep the area on the drier side. Water early in the morning. This allows the top part of the soil to dry before night, when the pill bugs are active. Also keep mulch away from plants during this period of time. In the evening dust with Diatect V, diatomaceous earth (D.E.) and pyrethrin, around base of plants. Set up boards, grapefruit halves or banana peels as traps for the pill bugs and scoop them up every morning and dump into soapy water to get the population down. Pill bugs, like many pests, have their place in life as decomposers of dead plants or weak plants, so control is only needed during the early stages of the plant's life. The rest of the time let the pill bugs do their work.

  • dragonfly_wings
    13 years ago

    Found a little additional info for you about Diatect V
    from the Natural Gardener web site and a great, yet dated, Gardenweb thread on the subject of pill bugs.

    Roger and John have been doing tests here at the nursery and have been having great success with the certified organic pesticide Diatect V. It is a mixture of Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.) and pyrethrin. It does not have piperonyl butoxide as many other D.E./ Pyrethrin mixes do. Some of the harder to control bugs that we have success with include four-line bugs, squash bugs, stink bugs, harlequin bugs and other hard-shell bugs. It is best applied with an applicator to really get the dust where the bugs are - on the underside of leaves and the ground where they jump when they are disturbed. We have several different types. RogerÂs and JohnÂs favorites include the pest pistol, which is a simple accordion style pump bottle, and the dustin-mizer which is a hand-crank applicator that electrically charges the dust particle so it is attracted and sticks the plant - a must for large gardens. When you apply this product, you must take care NOT TO INHALE
    the very sharp silica particles of the D.E.

    Pill bug thread:
    http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ipm/msg091236016309.html

  • curlietop
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for all the info. They arent really attacking the plant, just any fruit that touches the ground (ie. melons,tomatoes,etc). My melon vines have gotten so thick I dont think I will be able to control any pests just because I cant get to them!

  • honeybunny2 Fox
    13 years ago

    Bob Webster, said to bury a jar in the ground, have the jar opening at ground level. Place a piece of apple inside the jar. The pill bugs will go inside and they cannot crawl outside the jar. You should have a bunch of pill bugs by morning. Then you can decide what to do with them. Barbra

  • curlietop
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    That sounds like the best idea yet, Barbra! Thanks!

  • fool4flowers
    13 years ago

    I pour soapy water where I find pill bugs and they either go away or die because I don't see them anymore.