SnowFire Hollow Orchard
  • Home
  • The Etcetera
  • Store
  • Orchard Journal
  • Resources
  • Contact Us
  • Leila Belle Organic Skin Care
    • Photo Log >
      • Common Ground Fair
      • The Orchard
      • Events

A Pest Among Us

6/18/2014

0 Comments

 
We are currently waging a battle against a "disaster of biblical proportions" to quote Dr. Peter Venkman. 

Okay... maybe I exaggerate a tad.  But  maybe just a little .  The particular beastie is known as the Rose Chafer Beetle.   They invade from the ground up with two missions.  To eat and mate, voraciously and simultaneously. We have waged war with this enemy before, but this year they have chosen the leaves of the elderberries as their love dens. 

We have spent a total of 20 hours hand-picking them off and putting them in buckets of soapy water.  Their numbers are less, but we are outnumbered.   They have been sprayed with Neem, Neem with Surround and also hand-picked.  Next plan of attack is neem with diatomaceous earth. 

We have another week and a half, if we are lucky, before  these guys disappear again.  They are plotting to take on our beautiful crop of ripening strawberries next.  Since they are in the ground, row covers are not an option.... so let's hope the Neem/DE combo works....
Picture
The First Two Strawberries of the season
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    December 2018
    March 2018
    September 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    November 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    September 2013

    Author

    I am T-  the other half -of the dream-wrangler team, in the Orchard adventure.  
    Mother to 3 amazing adult sons, and grandmother to the biggest rays of sunshine in our lives. Our oldest grand-daughter, we used to call "Little A", but now she is medium to tall-sized.  She is "Miss A" now. The last couple of  years she has greeted a brother, "Little R" , and this past fall, "Little Miss I" and another mister, who will be known as "Little K", arriving any day now!

    Then there's H.- I'll let him elaborate at some point,  but in my opinion, he's the best seaweed wrangler west of the Atlantic. He remains our artist. in residence, and contines to astound T with his penchant for unusual garden-type installations.  He lives to dance a jig with his grand kids, and teach them all about gardens, growing and such. 



    Categories

    All
    Elderberry
    Elderberry Syrup
    Harvest
    Orchard

    RSS Feed

© SnowFire Hollow Orchard 2014. All Rights Reserved.