Cutworms killing my pepper seedlings, 50 plants killed so far, HELP!

[JckDanls 07]

Bifenthrin is a very effective pyrethroid pesticide

I treat the whole yard with a Bifenthrin granual annually... Use to control red ants/ants...

 

[Fueling Around]

I treat the whole yard with a Bifenthrin granual annually... Use to control red ants/ants...

Wise choice Keith. Water in well and good residual
I may stop to visit you one of these years. I am not a fan of the little red ants called fire ants.

 

[JckDanls 07]

I am not a fan of the little red ants called fire ants.

They can be nasty... They wait until there's about 20 of them on you and then send out the "ATTACK" signal...

Fire ants I have under control... No mounds in the yard... It's the pesky little black ants that like to invade the house...

 

[JckDanls 07]

I may stop to visit you one of these years

By all means stop by...

 

[JLinza]

Mash up some garlic, vinegar and water. I mix it in about 1/3 each, though sometimes, I run it hot. Works like RepellsAll. That's worked good for me. But in fairness, I don't have the bugs quite like some folks, being at higher elevation. Spray it around the garden or on boarders. Don't spray it right on the plants... the vinegar can harm plants.

 

[forktender]

I had pincher bugs cut 90% of my tomato seedlings a few yrs ago.
I used Slug'o plus, and it knocked them down in 2 nights. Now I put Slug'o plus down the day my plants go into the dirt.

 

[Chasdev]

I checked for activity at 2:30 AM and just now at 6:14 AM and there is no sign of damage.
Was it the "tent" or the suibmerging of the pots yesterday or did they just up and move on?
In any case, it seems that whatever it is/was did not emerge from the soil last night.
The two baby tomato plants in the baggies were repotted with the same soil/compost mix I used on everything else and they are untouched in the bags overnight.
So tenting, or was it being hosed down with Thuricide I that did it?
Being spiteful, I hope it was the latter.

 

[Smokin Okie]

Just like barbecue recipes or most anything else, that's why only changing one thing at a time is recommended.

 

[zwiller]

Who cares, WIN!

I fought what ended up being scale on my landscaping a LONG time. Acephate fixed that. Few times I tried to do a garden were a disaster. Tempted to try some cherry tomatoes in a 5G bucket.

 

[Chasdev]

Tuesday update..
No starters under the tent or in baggies were damaged, BUT one tray of leek babies is gone, wiped out.
The leeks had been ignored until last night so I thought they were unpalatable to the nasties.
Wrong!
So, the tent and zipperlock baggy protected starters survived, which tells me the soil is not where the attack originates, besides I drowned the **** out of them yesterday and I don't think worms have aqua lung rigs...
I do see lizards running around in the yard, I wonder if they munch plants?

 

[Smokin Okie]

Tuesday update..
No starters under the tent or in baggies were damaged, BUT one tray of leek babies is gone, wiped out.
The leeks had been ignored until last night so I thought they were unpalatable to the nasties.
Wrong!
So, the tent and zipperlock baggy protected starters survived, which tells me the soil is not where the attack originates, besides I drowned the **** out of them yesterday and I don't think worms have aqua lung rigs...
I do see lizards running around in the yard, I wonder if they munch plants?

IDK about lizards. But I would be almost 100% sure its not cutworms. Or at least the variety of cutworms I know about.

 

[mneeley490]

In my area, the problem critters are slugs and snails. They'll take out a tomato patch in nothing flat. Probably too hot down there for those?

 

[Fueling Around]

In my area, the problem critters are slugs and snails. They'll take out a tomato patch in nothing flat. Probably too hot down there for those?

I remember those days. I have never seen slugs as those in the Pacific Northwest.

Not sure on Texas, but central Florida has an abundance of snails. Cleaned out the community gas grills on Sunday (yeah maintenance sucks) and the amount of snail shells was amazing. Scraped a couple of skink carcasses too

 

[JIMSMOKES]

Might only apply to my area of SC. My grandaddy told me for cut worms to put a couple copper wires on each side of plants.
Also told me to use a heaping tablespoon of Epson salt mixed in a gallon of water. Poured on each plant once established to prevent bloom end rot.

 

[Chasdev]

I treat the whole yard with a Bifenthrin granual annually... Use to control red ants/ants...

Get a goose, they love to eat fire ants.
Ours used to stand on the mound and while they swarmed over her she would just go to town on them..and she won, they vacated the area.

 

[okie sawbones]

Bifenthrin is a very effective pyrethroid pesticide. However, the XTS formulary is not rated for food crops. The carrier is toxic, not the Bifenthrin itself.

Yes, it is against the label recommendations, but I have used it only on the emerging plants for years, not on fruiting plants or leaf plants like spinach or collards. Otherwise the insects here take over. Never had a problem, just a dragging leg and twitches. I may switch over to Fertilome next year, and see if the garden can survive.

 

[Fueling Around]

Yes, it is against the label recommendations, but I have used it only on the emerging plants for years, not on fruiting plants or leaf plants like spinach or collards. Otherwise the insects here take over. Never had a problem, just a dragging leg and twitches. I may switch over to Fertilome next year, and see if the garden can survive.

They make food safe formularies of Bifenthrin.
Bifenthrin is qausi organic. It is a pyrethroid meaning it is a synthesized version of pyrethrin which is organic.

 

[DougE]

They make food safe formularies of Bifenthrin.
Bifenthrin is qausi organic. It is a pyrethroid meaning it is a synthesized version of pyrethrin which is organic.

Talstar is one formulation that is safe to use in kitchen areas.

 

[GatorAGR]

Just popping in to offer some clarification on a couple comments. I have worked in the pesticide industry for 30 years. I realize some of this can be confusing though. Pesticides are regularly branded/marketed in different segments for value reasons (i.e. higher value in lawns vs. crops). This is why you might see Bifenthrin labeled for food on one label and non-food on another. Check the % active ingredients to see if they are in fact the same formulation. I still recommend using the product labeled for your use as this is the legal method. In this specific case though, we need to clearly identify the pest and then select a product that is effective for that pest. Once the pest is identified, I'm happy to help direct you to the best control product.

Also, Organic doesn't mean "zero pesticides". This is a misnomer that the general population doesn't understand. As mentioned in another post, there are several pesticides labeled as Organic. Copper, for example, is one of the harshest fungicides on the market, but is labeled Organic because it is a naturally occurring metal. There are many many other synthetic fungicides that I would rather be applied to my food than Copper. Final comment on the organic topic or more specifically pesticide residues. We are the 2nd most regulated industry in the US behind only nuclear energy. Typical pesticide residues are less than 1 ppm with many being down towards 0.01 ppm which is the level of non-detection. Use products according to the label (spray volume, rate, timing, etc.) and you should feel very confident that your food is safe. For DIY'ers, I worry most about spray volume. If you spray plants/grass over and over you are also applying more product which leads to more residue. Application technique is most important with insecticides compared to other pesticides.

 

[Chasdev]

Here's my take.

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