How do I get rid of asparagus beetles?
Asparagus None Given
I have a four year old asparagus patch and yesterday I noticed some brown and black beetles on the stems. I looked them up and found out they are asparagus beetles. I have never had any problems with them in previous years on this plant so I'm not sure where they have come from. Do you know the best way to get rid of them? I killed the ones I found in a bucket of water but what else can I do?
Posted
by: Denis Schneider
(1 point)
Posted: May 2, 2013
Answers
We aren't able to grow asparagus in our region, but I found a great deal of good information on the problems with beetles from Cornell.
Management of Asparagus Beetles:
Clean up dead asparagus stalks over the winter. Hand pick beetles in small plantings.
For the common asparagus beetle, cutting the shoots very clean and just below ground level every day or
two during the cutting season will tend to remove the eggs before the larvae can establish themselves in a home
garden patch.
For the spotted asparagus beetle, removing and destroying asparagus berries in small garden plots, or
using only male (non-fruiting) asparagus plants, will help to give control.
If necessary, pesticides may be applied, when the beetles first appear. Apply one to three times but do
not repeat applications within 3 days. Be sure to check the label for the number of days you have to wait to
harvest (= Days to Harvest) before applying any pesticide to edible crops.
Here's the link http://entomology.cornell.edu/cals/en...
Hope this helps.
Management of Asparagus Beetles:
Clean up dead asparagus stalks over the winter. Hand pick beetles in small plantings.
For the common asparagus beetle, cutting the shoots very clean and just below ground level every day or
two during the cutting season will tend to remove the eggs before the larvae can establish themselves in a home
garden patch.
For the spotted asparagus beetle, removing and destroying asparagus berries in small garden plots, or
using only male (non-fruiting) asparagus plants, will help to give control.
If necessary, pesticides may be applied, when the beetles first appear. Apply one to three times but do
not repeat applications within 3 days. Be sure to check the label for the number of days you have to wait to
harvest (= Days to Harvest) before applying any pesticide to edible crops.
Here's the link http://entomology.cornell.edu/cals/en...
Hope this helps.
Posted
by: Susan League, UF/IFAS Sumter Program Assistant
(1 point)
Posted: May 3, 2013
Although garden sanitation and handpicking aren't ideal strategies for managing these troublesome pests (we have both the spotted and the common beetle here), they're the only ones I use.
That's because the only products--even those approved for organic producers--that kill asparagus beetles are broad-spectrum insecticides that also kill honeybees and other beneficial insects. I've tried insecticidal soap and many homemade herbal concoctions without success. Let me know if you discover one!
That's because the only products--even those approved for organic producers--that kill asparagus beetles are broad-spectrum insecticides that also kill honeybees and other beneficial insects. I've tried insecticidal soap and many homemade herbal concoctions without success. Let me know if you discover one!
Posted
by: Peg Boyles
(4 points)
Posted: May 3, 2013
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