You can learn about these and other insects by purchasing the best book on bugs written by two Texans. Malcolm Beck and Howard Garrett have written the Texas Bug Book, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. It is filled with great pictures and descriptions.

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Controlling Insects Organically

Soft-bodied worms find their way back to our landscapes this time of year. You can easily control them with an organic product called Bacillus thuringiensis. It is a naturally occurring bacterium that only affects chewing insect larvae. Look for it as Bt or Thuricide. It kills the worm on contact or when they eat the foliage that has been sprayed with Bt.
Red Spider Mites begin to be a problem with the return of the heat and humidity. They are very small mites that can be barely seen with the naked eye that leave spider webbing on the underside of leaves. The tops of the affected leaves will turn yellow with brown spots. You will find them often on the lower regions of your growing tomato plants. Liquid seaweed will control them! Be sure to spray the undersides of the leaves that are affected. Liquid seaweed is also a great foliar spray for your plants.
Garlic-Pepper Spray can be very effective as an insect repellant. See below for recipe.

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Two-Step Fire Ant Control

You can control fireants with the Two-Step Method. The two steps are a broadcast treatment over a large area combined with individual mound control. You can use several things for the broadcast treatment.

STEP ONE: Use beneficial nematodes for treatment of the larger area. There are thousands of different species of nematodes. The nematode for fireant control is sold under the name ANTidote from Gulf Coast Biological Controls. It attacks the fireants at the larval stage. It is very effective and can last for years.

STEP TWO: Use a mound treatment that consists of compost tea, molasses, and orange oil. You can buy concentrates of this. Look for Garden-Ville's Auntie Fuego Soil Conditioner, or you can buy Garden-Ville's Garrett Juice and add the orange oil to it. You can also make your own by making compost tea and adding orange oil and molasses to your homemade tea. See our "In the Garden" page on how to make compost tea. To this tea, add 4-6 ounces of orange oil and 4 teaspoons of molasses, per gallon, to make your own mound control juice.

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Garlic/Pepper Tea

Ingredients: 2 bulbs garlic, 2 hot peppers, blender 1/2 full of water. Mix in blender. Strain solids and add to one gallon of water to make a concentrate. Use 1/4 cup of concentrate and two tablespoons of Horticultural Molasses per gallon of water for foliar applications that act as an effective insect repellent for your plants. Do not use on insect pollinated vegetable plants.

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Baking Soda Fungicide

Mix 4 teaspoons (about 1 rounded tablespoon) of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of horticultural oil into one gallon of water. Spray lightly on foliage of plants afflicted with black spot, powdery mildew, brown patch and other fungal diseases. Avoid over-using or pouring on the soil. Potassium bicarbonate is a good substitute for baking soda. Citrus oil and molasses can be used instead of horticultural oil. Source: www.dirtdoctor.com

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Compost Tea

In a five-gallon bucket, add one shovel full of the compost of your choice and fill almost full with water. Wormcastings are ideal to use as the compost. Let stand for 2-3 days, stirring it occasionally. Strain the solids, leaving a dense tea. Fill another five-gallon bucket with water and let it stand for a day to leach the chlorine out of the water. Add the dense compost tea to the clear water until you have the consistency of a strong iced tea.

You can use this compost tea for foliar feeding your plants or as a soil spray or drench to enrich the soil. For added benefits, aerobically activate the bacteria/fungus in the compost tea by using a small pump to circulate the water. I used a small water garden pump with a short piece of pvc to create a small 'fountain'. This aerobically activated tea is great when used to stop fungal diseases on any leaf surface. Examples would be blackspot, powdery mildew, or even brown patch in your lawn grass.

Compost teas are easily made and used. It is an effective and inexpensive way to treat larger areas. As with most foliar feeding or pest control products, do not use as a foliar spray when temperatures are over 90°. It is best used in early morning or late afternoon.

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John's Recipe

Ingredients: