I have something attacking the leaves of my white eggplants but not the tomatoes, zuchs, lettuce or cucumbers. Suggestions on how to combat appreciates.
Steve
- posted
19 years ago
Insect Help Please
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19 years ago
Can you describe the look of the damage? Otherwise it's hard to say. Could be a vine weevil. They only come out at night, and chomp big holes in your leaves. If you've got your plants in pots, one of your pots could have vine weevil grubs in it. Go out at midnight with a flashlight and see if you can see these beetles on your leaves. For more info, Google vine weevils.
OTOH, it could be slugs or snails, depends on the country you live in.
s.
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19 years ago
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19 years ago
Sounds like slugs or snails to me, probably not caterpillars. Get out there at night around midnight with a flashlight and have a look, that's when it's all happening. If you find anything, Kill It!
If the edges are jagged, it could be birds, but I doubt it.
Sorry I can't advise further as I don't live in N.America, and your pests are different from ours.
s.
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19 years ago
Small holes are probably the work of flea beetles. They look like small black dots, and jump very quickly when threatened, hence the "flea" part. I haven't yet found a good low impact remedy for them, aside from squishing. It helps to delay planting, as the beetles seem to reach a population peak in late spring/early summer. Large holes could be slugs. Go out after dark and check around. Sluggo works very well, and is not toxic to birds and mammals. A quick fix, until you can get some Sluggo, is a mix of one part household ammonia and 4 parts water, put into a labeled spray bottle and sprayed directly on the slugs. It dissolves their slime coat in a very satisfying way.
Something I've seen on my eggplants for the first time this year is a small green worm of the type we've always called an inchworm--someone probably knows the correct name for it. Squishing works well for those also.
Earwigs are another possibility. Check for them at night also. Soap spray, a direct hit, works well on them.
The good news is that if you can get your transplants through the first few weeks, they start to grow rapidly and toughen up, and seem to be much less attractive to pests.
Good luck, Sue
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19 years ago
Flea beetles, most likely.
Mulch with leaf mold: sprinkleground coffee around the base of the plants; spray with a mixture of garlic, hot pepper and coffee.
Neem extracts / neem oil (may list active ingredient Azadirachtin) can be used safely.
Usually only a problem early in the season. It's best to hold off planting eggplants until much later than tomatoes and peppers. Usually they can outgrow the first attacks by flea beetles if planted in rich soil when the weather is reliable hot.
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19 years ago
You might have potato beetles. They usually go for my potatoes, occasionally my eggplants if we get a cold spring. For some reason, they always leave my peppers and tomatoes alone. Maybe that's dessert
-- I usually pick them off around first course. :)
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19 years ago
think they are the fleas - I went out the other night and looked underside. A few small black dots and one very tiny light green grasshopper look alike. A few of the major leaves are pretty much eaten - do you think the plants will survive and what should I spray them with? Thanks... Steve
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19 years ago
Shot holes? Flea beatles.
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19 years ago
squishing.
combat
I agree with other posters that flea beetles are a good possibility for your pest. They love eggplant most of all and don't really damage anything else. They can eat enough to destroy young eggplant.
My remedy is to cover the plants until they are big enough to fend for themselves. I made cages out of wire cloth - actually I used some leftover tomato wire, but any similar material will do. I then made a cover out of floating row cover, which is a fabric with tiny holes but which admits enough light that plants will grow under it. A simple stitching will make a suitable cover. Leave some wires sticking out below to support the cage (by pushing them into the ground). Use your best judgement on when to remove the cages.
I hope this helps,
Guy Bradley Chesterfield MO zone 6