Re: Sweet potato vine pests

LOL! Nope, Diann, they die without a fight. Insecticidal soap and rotenone
won't work because they are contact insecticides, and these guys are really
fast.

I keep a jar 1/2 full of soapy water with some vegetable oil added to it.
It was designed for Japanese beetles, but works just as well on these. Just
grab them and fling them into the jar. With Japanese Beetles it's more fun,
because their defense mechanism (besides flying away is to drop off the
plant when it's disturbed. So you can position the jar very carefully under
the Jap beetle and go "Boo!" and they will drop right into the jar.
Enormously satisfying. Though not as much so as mashing their little heads
with your fingers.

Gerry

At 05:33 PM 7/10/00 -0500, you wrote:
>Gee, thanks!  Will they bite me or spew skin-disfiguring potions if I hand
>pick them?  I prefer to avoid poisons, except insecticide soap, or possibly
>Rotodene (?).  I didn't notice the insect. soap working, but then that can
>be hard to judge.
>
>Diann
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: PRIMROSES [s*@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU]On Behalf Of
>> Gerry/Bob O'Neill
>> Sent: Monday, July 10, 2000 5:21 PM
>> To: shadegardens@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
>> Subject: Re: [SG] Sweet potato vine pests
>>
>>
>> Diann,
>> They are indeed beetles, of the family Chrysomelidae, I think. I can tell
>> you definitely after work tomorrow (my keys are all there). This bug is
>> common, especially on morning glory.  I spent years trying to collect a
>> good one for the insect collection at work...but when they die,
>> they turn a
>> dull brown. Handpicking will work (you gotta be fast, and they tend to be
>> on the undersides of the leaves.) but if you want to go chemical, I would
>> think any good insecticide will work (like Sevin or Malathion).
>>
>> Gerry
>>
>> At 08:59 AM 7/10/00 -0500, you wrote:
>> >I have a couple pots with yellow sweet potato vine.  It's certainly
>> >beautiful except something is eating gazillions of little holes in the
>> >leaves (~1/8" to 1/4).  I've examined the plant day and night,
>> and all I can
>> >find are very small round beetles, about 1/8", of metallic GOLD.
>>  They are
>> >certainly amazing-looking bugs, but my local extension office
>> couldn't help
>> >identify them or tell me what else may be redesigning the
>> plants--so anyone
>> >know if this beetle is likely the demon??  ...and if so, what to
>> use to stop
>> >their damaging behavior.
>> >
>> >Thanks!
>> >Diann
>> >zone 5b
>> >
>> >> -----Original Message-----
>> >> From: PRIMROSES [s*@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU]On Behalf Of
>> >> cajun Joe
>> >> Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2000 11:09 AM
>> >> To: shadegardens@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
>> >> Subject: [SG] BLACK = Sweet potato vine habits
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Hello -
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Do you plant your potato vine in a pot, or in the ground?
>> >>
>> >> If you plant it in the ground, does it grow up again the
>> following year?
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Does it take over everything?
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Is it hard to get rid of if you plant it in the ground??
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Thank you = Cajun Joe
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>>
>
>
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