Remember our lovely yellow and black “friends?” Here’s a shot from yesterday to refresh your memory:
Now known to be the NASTY Cucumber Beetle
As I’m trying to avoid nasty chemicals and other goo that hurts lots of stuff in addition to the bugs they’re meant to kill…I knew I needed to come up with a method for controlling (at least) their population. I decided I should start to *pick* them off the leaves.
That said, our daughter (aka: the largest predator) is already a little overfond of harvesting anything she can get her little hands on in the garden. I was a little concerned that she might see me plucking bugs and decide to make off with (more) plants that she’s ripped out from the ground.
Today is the answer to my problem. Our elder son has a good pal over today and they were more than happy to go on the bug hunt. What fun! There really is nothing more exciting than donning a pair of gloves and seeing how many nasty little bugs you can catch and SQUISH!
On the Hunt
Friend has been rather taken with the amount of bug guts she has managed to accumulate on her gloves, although she has informed son that rubbing one’s gloves together is an effective method for cleaning said bugs off gloves. She also has kept track of her number. When I left them to come inside (to make rolls, not just to blog) she had caught 7. Son thinks he’s gotten at least 6. I managed to squish about 8 myself.
I got one! Me, too!
The other greatly satisfying part of this sadistic little game is that it’s very challenging. These suckers can FLY and they are easily spooked. They also love to hang out on the underside of the leaves. I also found it quite satisfying to squish two at a time - I liked the thought of nipping future generations in the bud (so to speak) whereas the kids were just happy to get two for one.
Gotcha!
The final tally (according to the kids) after about 20 minutes: him 10 to 15, her 10 to 12.
Younger son’s birthday is soon upon us. Perhaps this would make a uniquely delightful party game…