Bee Friendly Garden Chemicals

[LeonardS]

Are there any chemicals that can be used in a garden that won't harm the bees? About the only thing I have trouble with is the big green caterpillars that get on my tomato plants. In prior years I have used a Sevin dust but didn't think that would be a good idea since I have bees now.

[Andrew Dewey]

There are lots of chemicals you can use in your garden that won't harm bees - let's narrow down what you want to accomplish:

Do you want to keep the big green caterpillars from munching on your tomato plants or skip the niceties and kill them?

[LeonardS]

If its not going to hurt the bees, I would rather see the caterpillars dead.

[adam@azapiaries]

The key to using pesticides is to READ AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. A few things you will find on the lable is a warning not to spray when the plants are in bloom, and not letting the spray drift onto other plants that are in bloom. I raise giant pumpkins and striped cucumber beetles will destroy a plant. Therefore, I spray Sevin when I see beetles. I remove any flowers and don't allow spray to drift onto any flowering plants. I also spray at dusk when no bees are present. I never see any bee kill as a result.

[hoodswoods]

Check out products based on permithrum/permithrin (synthetic). I spray late evening & dribble under the hives as well with no issues. I try to avoid the blooms and limit to folage and soil.

[WVMJ]

Spray some BT on then, a lot less toxic than sevin. WVMJ

[butch043052]

Yeh BT is the way to go, you can find it at Gardens Alive.

[Spark]

I have been gardening for well over 15 years and have never needed pesticides. I use beneficial plants that dissuade pests and others to attract beneficial insects. I also use bird feeders, birds that eat insects with visit your yard if others are flocking nearby. I do use grape jelly, mealworms and suet for the insect eaters.

I use lots of compost & turkey manure as well to give the plant the nutrients they need to survive against pest attacks as well. Also planting around a pests cycle works too.

I out produce by ten times in yields against most home gardeners who use pesticides even the old Italians, one of which I know who shakes his head in disbelief as I can feel his defeat at my success

[Yucca Patrol]

I'm with you, Spark. No pesticides at all for anything. If I wanted to eat chemicals I wouldn't bother growing my own vegetables.

I think the biggest problem with using pesticides is that they invariably end up killing both the pests AND the predators that prey on those pests. Once you remove the predators, the unwanted pests will be back with a vengeance. Then you'll have to spray even more pesticides.

It takes time, but eventually you'll end up with a very diverse collection of insect species that are kept in check by natural predators with no one species becoming a dominant pest.

[LeonardS]

I'm with you, Spark. No pesticides at all for anything. If I wanted to eat chemicals I wouldn't bother growing my own vegetables.

I think the biggest problem with using pesticides is that they invariably end up killing both the pests AND the predators that prey on those pests. Once you remove the predators, the unwanted pests will be back with a vengeance. Then you'll have to spray even more pesticides.

It takes time, but eventually you'll end up with a very diverse collection of insect species that are kept in check by natural predators with no one species becoming a dominant pest.

I'm all for the no pesticide approach. What predator eats tomato caterpillars?

[Yucca Patrol]

I'm all for the no pesticide approach. What predator eats tomato caterpillars?

They may not eat them, but children paid a dime per caterpillar are pretty good caterpillar predators.

[jadell]

Do you have so many tomato plants that you can't just pick them off and kill them? That's one of my favorite jobs all summer long! I normally only find a few all summer here.

[Spark]

I'm all for the no pesticide approach. What predator eats tomato caterpillars?

This is from "Gardens Alive" : They are talking about parasitic wasps BTW

Back to the Plants of Attraction: These highly beneficial little waspies like a little nectar and pollen to cleanse their palates in between caterpillar meals, especially from tiny flowers that grow in umbrella-like clusters, like dill, fennel, Queen Anne’s lace and biennials like carrots and parsley left in the garden for a second year. They also like compound, daisy-like flowers, tansy, spearmint, clover, sweet alyssum and many others. The wasps are native almost everywhere—so “if you plant it, they will come”.

Also you can plant Marigolds they work well

[SantaFeBeek]

I've always hunted and killed the tomato hornworms by hand...no chemicals. They do look very much like the underside of a tomato leaf, so they aren't all that easy to spot sometimes, especially when they are little, but look for poop on the leaves, then start your search right above the poop. Works like a charm!

[LeonardS]

The problem is that I am only at my garden on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. As you know, the worms can devour a tomato plant in one night.

[SantaFeBeek]

The can definitely do severe damage pretty quick! I've never found any type of "natural" product that really works on them. Let us know if you find something. Good luck!

[Nabber86]

I've always hunted and killed the tomato hornworms by hand...

Yep, that is one garden pest that I eradicate by hand and I can vouch for the poop detection method. I find the timing of their appearance especially fun because they show up like clockwork near the Fourth of July. Nothing like turning a caterpillar into flying green ooze with a firecracker.

The ones that I find with white wasp eggs all over makes my skin crawl.