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Re: Buggies on Garlic Plants

Greg <gdunn@healy-co.com> wrote:

> I just bought a couple of garlic plants, and my daughter noticed that
> they have tiny black bugs on them. Under a magnifying glass, the bugs
> look a little bit like spiders. Anybody know what these might be?
> Should I (a) put these plants in my garden as is, (b) do something to
> get rid of the bugs, then put the plants in, or (c) toss the plants?  If
> (b), what should I do?

> Thanks!

Hi Greg,

Could you describe them with any more detail?  The number of legs will
narrow it down quite a bit, and shape and colour will help.  Do they
move fast or sluggishly?  Do they look like they're eating the garlic
and is their any damage on the leaves to indicate this?

If they are six legged and therefore an insect the size and colour
indicate that they could be newly hatched ladybugs (aka ladybird beetles).
If so, they probably have some little orange patches on their segmented
bodies, with their body length being 3 to 4 times their width.  They will
be busy hunting down aphids and other small insects.

If eight legged they could be a predatory mite, another beneficial.

If they do turn out to be a nasty and there aren't that many of them
you can simply squish them with your fingers.  You needn't toss out
your plants.

Cheers!

--
 Bob Carter  -  bcarter@wkpowerlink.com
 Kootenay Bay, BC, Canada  -  Zone 6b
--

The secret of the universe is @*#^^^ NO CARRIER

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