Have I talked about bugs yet? I don't think so, but this is really important. Bugs are both the life and death of my garden. I am surprised to discover new beneficial insects all the time, but there are still so many destructive ones as well. They are a constant battle, but it's one that I am slowly learning how to fight.
A few weeks ago, I discovered a few of these beetles in the garden. They were a funny shape, but they were colored like a ladybug, so I googled "garden bugs colored like a ladybug." I saw many references to the Asian Lady Beetle, so that's what I thought this was. These bugs kill other bad bugs in the garden. Woohoo!
A few weeks ago, I discovered a few of these beetles in the garden. They were a funny shape, but they were colored like a ladybug, so I googled "garden bugs colored like a ladybug." I saw many references to the Asian Lady Beetle, so that's what I thought this was. These bugs kill other bad bugs in the garden. Woohoo!
I also have stinkbugs, which I can readily identify. These other beetles had a shield-shaped shell, similar to a stinkbug, but the coloring kept me thinking along the lines of a ladybug. There were more "Asian lady beetles" than stinkbugs, so I took for granted that the predatory, colorful bugs were keeping the stinkbug population in check.
Because of this, I purposefully left these beetles alone for weeks. Their numbers increased, and I thought I had my own little army of beetles protecting my garden. I soon began seeing them doing the sex, and as I averted my eyes from the indecency, I also rooted them on. Soon afterward, I came across some of their egg-groups (sex and eggs below).
Because of this, I purposefully left these beetles alone for weeks. Their numbers increased, and I thought I had my own little army of beetles protecting my garden. I soon began seeing them doing the sex, and as I averted my eyes from the indecency, I also rooted them on. Soon afterward, I came across some of their egg-groups (sex and eggs below).
It was cool to see the cool little eggs all lined up in perfect rows, but in the meantime, my leafy greens were all sickly, yellow, and I could see that there were many parts that were completely eaten away. I was disappointed in my new friends, so I went back to Google to refine my searches to include the black-and-white eggs. That's when I discovered that my Asian insect fan club was not as awesome (or as Asian) as I had earlier thought.
The Truth
The truth was that I never had Asian Lady Beetles. Those are shaped like American Ladybugs, but vary in color (usually more orange or yellow). What I DID have was an infestation of Harlequin Cabbage Bugs, a relative of the stinkbug (not to be confused with the Harlequin Beetle, which is this giant alien-looking thing from Central America). Harlequins are named for their coloring, mimicking the red-and-black diamond design of the 16th century stage character by the same name, and they are incredibly damaging and difficult to get rid of. I can count over 20 in the picture below, and look at those leaves!
They ravaged my broccoli, spinach, and kale. I spent many evenings catching and squishing them, or removing their barrel-shaped eggs, but in the end, I had to remove the spinach and broccoli and trim down my kale to almost nothing. And don't think that you can just throw those removed plants in your compost heap, because the Harlequins will just find their way back over to your garden. You have to put the plants in a tied plastic bag and dispose of them off-site to ensure that the bugs are actually removed from the area!
The Harlequins' mouth is made of only sucking parts. They eat by stabbing their mouth-straw into a leaf and sucking out the moisture. That creates the yellow areas on the leaves that you can see in the pictures above, and as those yellow parts harden off, they fall away and leave gaping holes. So it's a bit different than a caterpillar getting in there and chomping away with pincers, but it's every bit as destructive.
Once I had removed the infested plants, I dusted the rest of the plants with diatomaceous earth and Dipel dust, which I have already been using to control hornworms, caterpillars, and ants. A few Harlequins remained, but they were quickly found and executed. WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE.
The Harlequins' mouth is made of only sucking parts. They eat by stabbing their mouth-straw into a leaf and sucking out the moisture. That creates the yellow areas on the leaves that you can see in the pictures above, and as those yellow parts harden off, they fall away and leave gaping holes. So it's a bit different than a caterpillar getting in there and chomping away with pincers, but it's every bit as destructive.
Once I had removed the infested plants, I dusted the rest of the plants with diatomaceous earth and Dipel dust, which I have already been using to control hornworms, caterpillars, and ants. A few Harlequins remained, but they were quickly found and executed. WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE.