Transcript pest and disease control

Bugs – Good and Bad
And what to do about them!
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98% of even the best applied spray damages
non-target organisms
Resistance to pesticides
Current pesticides are
◦ oil based,
◦ cannot be home produced, and
◦ are expensive.
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They can build up in the environment
Why “Organic”
Improve soil health
 Attract predators
 Practice companion planting/interplanting
 Use resistant varieties
 Time plantings to avoid pests
 Observe
Only when all else fails –
 Use environmentally friendly pest controls
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What is the organic
approach?
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Ladybirds (most
species)
Ground beetles
Rove beetles
Dragonflies
Earwigs (Australian)
Lacewings
Predatory flies
Praying mantis
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Springtails
Predatory wasps
Hover flies
Assassin bugs
Centipedes and
millipedes
Spiders
Good Bugs (Predators)
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Ants
Aphids
Ladybird (26 & 28
spotted)
Weevils
Shield bugs
Cabbage moth
Cabbage white
butterfly
Loopers
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Bad Bugs (Pests)
Budworms
Cockroaches
Crickets
Locusts
Grasshoppers
Earwig (European)
Flies (inc Fruit Flies)
Scales
Snails and slugs
Thrips
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Works for larger pests, eg
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Snails
Caterpillars
Shield bugs (gloves)
cockroaches
Useful protein supplement for chooks (not
shield bugs)
Controls – Manual removal
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Hold or Attract and Hold
◦ Beer trap for snails
◦ Bottle trap for Fruit fly
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Sticky paper
◦ For flies
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Corrugated cardboard
◦ For coddling moth in apples
Controls – catch and hold
Pantihose, paper bags, cloth applied to
fruit for fruit fly
 Sawdust, lime, wood ash, diatomaceous
earth or alum around plants to deter
snails and slugs
 Rockwool against cutworms or crawling
pests
 Nets against flying pests
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Controls - Barriers
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Pyrethrum spray (commercial or home
produced) (sesame, sassafras oil)
Derris dust
Oil
Borax
Bug juice
Chilli and garlic spray
Nicotine
Controls – Sprays/dusts
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Biological
◦ Viruses
◦ Bacteria
◦ Fungi
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Nutrient disorders
◦ Deficiency
◦ Toxicity
Organic Disease Control –
Types of disease
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Observe
Start with healthy
soil
Mulch heavily
Don’t overcrowd
your plants
Plant resistant
varieties
Keep area clean and
tidy
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Maintain high
standard of hygiene
Practice crop
rotation
Avoid overhead
watering
Don’t use greywater
Don't plant out of
season
Organic Disease Control –
Prevention is Better than Cure
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Plant material bought in
From neighbours properties (wind borne)
Contaminated soil
Debris
Contaminated seed
insects
Organic Disease Control –
Disease Transmission Routes
Virus – rogue – remove and destroy
 Bacteria – difficult – try garlic spray or
combination spray
 Fungus - seaweed foliar spray; milk, garlic
and chilli spray, urine (use full strength
and fresh!); chamomile tea; chive tea,
sulphur or lime sulphur spray
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Organic Disease Control –
Control options
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Combination spray
◦ Ingredients
2 level tsp of medium
hot chilli flakes
3 crushed garlic cloves
¼ cup of dishwashing
liquid
1litre of water
◦ Leave for 4 days filter
and use
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Bottle fruit fly trap
◦ Cut off the top and
invert, seal with red or
yellow electrical tape
◦ Insert attractant
 Molasses, fruit juice,
jam, vegemite,
ammonia
◦ Pesticide
 Borax, pyrethrum,
derris
◦ Replace every 3 weeks
Practical
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