gardening with bees

[catdance62]

Hi! Glad to see this section of the forum open up! This spring we are getting bees (2 hives). If insect problems arise in my vegetable garden, what can I use that will be safe for bees. My tomatoes usually suffer from spider mites, and my squash usually suffer from squash bugs. Also, can I use fungicides on my curbits without ill effects on the bees?

[Sondra]

UMM I can't help you there as I only do organic gardening  using mainly Howard Garrett the Dirt Dr.   you might check out his website  www.dirtdoctor.com.
On another note we are thinking of starting some bees also but haven't read up on it or know how to start.  We do have spoo goos of honey bees out here.

[Sondra]

OK re: squash bugs my book says
Control by smashing eggs, dusting tth adults with natural DE, planting lemon balm in between plants.   Dusting young plants regularly with cheap self rising flour will also help.   Treat soil wiith beneficial nematodes and spray with Garret Juice plus citrus oil.
Spider mites   heavy water spray  and also using Garrett Juice a garlic juice   and of course the beneficial nematodes

Now I  use  garlic pepper tea  and garrett juice on all my plants.
recipe:  Garlic pepper tea
liquefy 2 bulbs of garlic and 2 hot peppersin a bleander 1/3 full of water.  Strain the solids and add enought waer he garlic/pepper juice to make 1 gal. concentrate.  Use 1/4 cup of concentrate per gal of water for the spray.  add 2 ounces of citrus oil for each gal of spay.  To make just garlic tea omit the pepper and add another clove of garlic.
citrus oil is orange oil. 

[R and R Farms]

I keep bees for honey production and love watching the bees forage for pollen and nectar. In regard to insecticides and such, if you avoid spraying or treating when plants are in the blossom stage you shouldn't have to worry about harming the bees. If that approach isn't possible I don't know of much that would be safe for them. Another thought, though, is that when the main nectar flow starts in your area the bees are probably not gonna be very interested in your garden anyway and wont be affected by insecticides you apply (or at least not on a very big scale). You can check with any local beekeepers to find out when that time frame will be.

[kuwaha]

DE and those kinds of "killing" insecticides will hurt some bees, whereas the garlic/pepper/tansy sprays just make the plants taste bad so the bugs go elsewhere. as bees don't eat the plant and it's doubtful that the nectar would be impacted, I'd say these would be okay (no scientific evidence... just MHO )

[catdance62]

thanks for all the input. I will avoid putting anything on my plants until I actually see something bad. This year my garden won't be as big so maybe I can control it better.

[mamatomany]

I have to really watch what I put on, around, or in, as my neighbor is a bee keeper "Porter Farms" and that is his livelihood. 

[Ashley]

Squash bugs are the main pest we get here. I've tried a lot of things. Last year I used a natural spray, actually a horse spray and it works.. but it will kill bees I think. I'm going to try guineas this year, they are supposed to eat them!

[Bernice]

I've tried everything.......this year I am trying this remedy:

Make a collar out of used foil to fit loosely around the stems of young tomato plants and other plant starts in order to keep cutworms and other insects at bay.

[buckrun]

I don't know if there is anything to this but when we had bees they seemed to be more interested in things with lots of flowers that they could really make a harvest from-like fruit trees and flowering shrubs and clover and such.  Our veggies were pollinated more often by solitary wild bees - bumble and carpenter bees-and other insects like beetles and night moths on squash and melons and etc. Bees don't get around on the ground so if you are not broadcasting onto the flowers there should not be any loss of bees.

 Squash bugs ugh....along with fire ants and plum curculio and cucumber beetles and flea beetles they are high on the list of wanted DEAD.  We do a lot of patrolling in the cool of the morning when they are not as spry and just mash the dang things. The chickens will not eat them so I can't imagine guineas will. They taste bad to them or smell badly- they just watch them walk off.  I have been told by a fellow gardener locally that neem oil spray will get them but like Ashley mentioned previously I think it also harms bees but maybe not if you don't get it on them directly. Something to look into since it is a fungicide as well which would be wonderful here in the swamps for things like peaches and nectarines.  Anyone have Neem experience?

Lee

[MeadowValleyFarm]

I've tried everything.......this year I am trying this remedy:

Make a collar out of used foil to fit loosely around the stems of young tomato plants and other plant starts in order to keep cutworms and other insects at bay.

I have been told that this works very well, but have never had a major problem or a need to use it

[Ashley]

Yes, chickens won't eat them, but I did read guineas will. Sorta hard to believe anything will eat those disgusting things though. But I guess I'll find out. I did once see a wolf spider running around with one! But they don't eat near enough. We can't possibly pick all of them. I've tried, we plant too much squash and we have grow it here for over 10 years, every year. There are just armies of them before you know it. One year I actually had them come in and start in on my seedlings!

I hate them with a passion.

[kuwaha]

Every year I try growing squash I end up mad because just before the first one is ready to eat the whole thing dies from those worms in the stem... is this the larvae from squash bugs? If you do have squash bugs how do you ever get to eat anything?

[buckrun]

It's actually a virus they carry in their saliva.  You just have to do anything you can to prevent them from sucking on the stems.  Kill them or make it unpalatable to them.  Scatter your plants around in different areas rather than planting close together.  This will make it harder for them to kill all of them.  Plant in cycles- every month at least so when they get the older ones the younger ones will be coming on.  Use Raven or Black Beauty zukkers- they have some resistance to the virus and will take some damage without completely giving up.  Plant marigolds and other very aromatic plants in the same area to disguise the squash plants. Make up a spray with plants that smell loudly- basil- rosemary- marigolds and spray around the base of the plants where the larvae feed. Check undersides of leaves each day for clusters of red eggs- mash them. Check the base by spraying water on the stems and when they run out both adults and small soft gray larvae - squish!  It's a constant battle at first but if you get the first generation that overwintered as adults when they get on the plant to breed then you have a chance.  If you miss that then work hard to get the first eggs and larvae.  They hang out at the base in the shade so foil on the ground under the stems and leaves makes it less comfy for them. 
Good luck!
Lee

[Bernice]

I'll have to look this up again, but somewhere I read that beer will get rid of them, or was that slugs? 

[Ashley]

Every year I try growing squash I end up mad because just before the first one is ready to eat the whole thing dies from those worms in the stem... is this the larvae from squash bugs? If you do have squash bugs how do you ever get to eat anything?

Vine borers are a different bug, laid by a moth. Those.. you can't really do anything about them I don't think.

[Hollybrook]

honey bee's for crying out loud unless you have over an acre of spraying its not going to harm your colony, honey bee's generally only work one type of flowering plant at a time I would imgaine sometIhing in your area is going to be out producng anything you have planted in your home garden, typical garden flowers arent visited by honey bee's thier tounges are too short your garden wont benifit but the honey is great. Wild bumble bee's are going to be a home gardeners best friend