266 « The Basie Book of Organic Gardening

trick aphids by Placing some shiny aluminum foil around
your plants so that it reflects the heat and brilliance oF the
sun. Aphids normally shy away from foil mulched plants,

3. Bagworm

Bagworms are caterpillarlike insects that get their name
from carrying their baglike houses afound with them, The
bagworm moves freely with ity bag, but fastens it toa twig
with a silken thread whenever it stops to eat. These insect,
ire easily removed by hand, Black-light traps are effective
for catching the worms in their moth stage, Trichogramima, :
small parasitic Wasps, ate a natural and elective enemy, They
are available commercially, (See more information and a
list of sources in the Section “Biological Control for the Home ¢
Gardener,” ‘

4. Bean Beetle

Encourage the beneficial praying mantises, which have
been most effective in bean beetle control, to live in your
gardea, Also, plant your heaviest crop of hy ans for Canning
and freezing early, because those plants are freer of the peyt
thin hite-season ones, Don't forget to use iNterplanting tech.
niques with potatoes, nasturtiums, cloves, and garlic, Some
gardeners have used a mixture of crushed turnips and cary
Oil to foil the beetle,

5. Cabbage Maggot

Create a strong alkaline area around the plants to deter
the maggot by Placing a heaping tablespoon of wood ashe
around each plant Stem, mixing some svi! around with the
ashes, and setting the Plants in firmly, Protective canopicy
Of polyethylene netting also prevent infestation by keeping
the iusects from laying their eggy in the yOung plants, [y
addition, practice general insect controt Measures such is the
Use of sanitition, Tolauon, and improvement of the soil con.
dition, Tnterplanting might be able to beat the cabbage worn,

Prétéction Against The Bugs

guround your cabbage by cole plants such as tomatoes and
pgo which are shunned by the cabbage butterfly, the parent

{ithe geeen worm, Further interplanting techniques include

te use of tansy, rosemary, Sage, nasturtinm, catnip, and
yep. Friendly insectg like trichogramma are available
fom commercial sources, Ayoid Using poison sprays which
vil Kill these and other most helpfut insects. Ig addition,
Ymemade, nontoxic Sprays such ay pepper sprays, sour milk
gays, and salt mixtures have been found effective,

6, Caterpillar, Tent

Perhaps the best control for caterpillar is the use of Bacil-
ks thuringiens¥. This Donharmful bacteria is eaten by the

isects" who“ become paralyzed “and “dic in about 24 hours,
Other control measures include the use of sticky bitnds so
hat the female worms, who are unable to fly, will not be
ible to crawl up trees and lay eggs there, You may wish to
puce burlap or shapgy bandy around the trees to attract the
aterpillars and trap them, Those caught can be destroyed
daily, Light traps are also effective, Encourage praying man-
tea, and birds to Jive nearby. Trichogrammma js elective
wainst the tent caterpillar as well as the gypsy moth und
ankerworm, Remove and destroy the brown ege masses
from the branches of apy wild cherry trees in vacant lots and
cher areas around your home, Every time a single e¢

b destroyed, the potential threat of 200 10 300 more tent
saterpillary next spring is gone,

7. Chinch Bug

This little black sucking insect can canse large brown
patches in your Jawn, and all but destroy your sweet corn,
Chinch bugs thrive on nitrogea-deficient plants, so heavy ap-
plications of compost will make your plants resistant: and
avoid much of the trouble, If Present in your lawn, remove
the soil from the spot, and replace it with 14 crushed rock,
44 sharp builder's sand, and 14 compost. If they show up
in the cora patch, plant soybeans ay a companion crop to

teen, poy

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