Tag: bug control
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Homemade Fruit Fly Traps
It is that time of year when the fruit flies are buzzing around my compost bins and worm farms in droves. This is despite me covering the top layer of kitchen scraps in both with a layer of newspaper to reduce the infestation.
So, this year I decided to try making homemade traps. I asked my crack team of little assistants to each make a different trap and then we trialed them out in my shed next to my mushrooms growing crates and with the door closed.
Both trap types consisted of a jar, liquid bait, a method of letting the flies in but not out and an elastic band. My assistants both made traps using cider vinegar and detergent (this stops the flies being able to sit on the liquid indefinitely).
However for the one way entrance, one lad used plastic film with some skewer holes in it, the other a cone made from some scrap paper. I made one of the former myself and put it next to my worm farm.
You can’t see in this photo but after 1 hour they both type of trap had several dead flies in them. Just as well as the competition to see who got the most flies had heated up. 🙂
This is my one in the same time frame but next to the worm farms.
So, both traps work really well. I would say though that the plastic film version holds up better outside if you are expecting rain. If you are careful you can reuse the film again and again. Indoors
Enjoy,
PK
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BadCritter: White Cabbage Butterfly
Oh but I hate these beautiful little butterflies. They are particularly active in spring and early summer. I don’t see them in January and February in Perth and suspect it is just too hot.
I squish them and their caterpillars, turning them back into the soil.
Species:
Identification:
Adult:
Eggs:
Caterpillar:
Damage:
They will munch your greens leaving the tell tale holes you see above. The caterpillars are hard to spot as you can see.
Control:
I usually spray my chili plants and greens with Dipel and pyrethrum (my go to natural insecticide spray) if I notice any damage. I found the first time I used Dipel was amazing. I didn’t think the caterpillars were doing that much harm to the plant but the returning plant vigor proved that wrong.
Ben swears by the use of butterfly shaped cardboard cutouts and I use egg shells. Both methods are thought to make the laying females move along to another patch.
More Resources:
- See more BadCritters here
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PK Reviews: Nylex Heavy Duty 5L Shoulder Sprayer
The Nylex 5L and 8L Shoulder Sprayer range is perfect for people with kitchen gardens, even large ones. I am reviewing several of the Nylex Sprayer range and I started with their Nylex 1.5L 360° Sprayer. Please see the other Nylex reviews here.
Today I am reviewing the heavy duty cousin of the Nylex 5l Sprayer (2017 review here).
This is a very good sprayer and you can see step up in build quality the extra money gets you. It will last you a long time and I don’t think you will regret buying it.
Spoiler Alert: I prefer the standard model’s feel in the hand and will continue to buy it. Perhaps Nylex is making the standard version to well and pricing it too cheap. 🙂 🙂
Why would you buy a pressure sprayer anyway?
With its superior seals and build quality, this pressure sprayer is perfect for spraying plants with dense hard to reach foliage (such as chili plants and tomato plants) with both targeted solutions such as pyrethrum or full plant coverage solutions such as bio-oil. You could even use it on trees such as large citrus plants.
A trigger spray (although Nylex makes good/affordable versions of these) is not going to suffice as they can’t spray upside down and don’t have the holding capacity. Turning the leaves is going to end up getting spray on you and end in foliage damage.
Note: This is not a paid post.
Product Reviewed:
- Nylex Heavy Duty 5L Shoulder Sprayer
Pros compared to standard model:
- Exceptional build quality for the seals, bottle, wand and pump
- An extra year for 3 years warranty on the UV resistant plastic bottle
- Stainless steel as opposed to a fiber glass wand with fan and jet nozzle
- Stronger D shaped handle also makes for easy pumping and even stores the wand when not in use
Similar feature to standard model:
- Safety pressure release valve that also makes for easy de-pressuring when you are finished
- Easy to read incremented 1.0L marks so you can accurately mix your concentrate solutions
- Plastic sleeve for holding labels to indicate what type of solution you are keeping the sprayer for e.g.. fungicides vs insecticides (this is one of my favourite features as I don’t like to use the same sprayer for different treatments)
- Filter mechanism avoids blockages
- Spare o-rings etc are available
Availability:
- Available at your local Bunnings https://www.bunnings.com.au/nylex-5l-shoulder-garden-sprayer_p2962002 for about $40 AUD
The Verdict:
This is a great product and I still think reasonably priced, even compared to the cheaper standard version, at the time of writing.
Build quality is very very high and you should get many years out of it. I have never had one of these block on me!
If you have never owned a pressure sprayer you will love it. You are going to use a lot less plastic packaging and save money by using concentrate sprays over premixes.
I have never had one of these block on me!
If you have any questions about the product range I recommend contacting the Nylex team at http://www.nylexwatering.com/contact-us/
Hope this review helps and feel free to send me any comments or corrections.
PK
Related Links:
- See more Nylex posts here
- See our other product reviews here
- See more growing, catching and cooking equipment here
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Pyrethrum Natural Insecticide
I always try to use pyrethrum spray and Dipel over man-made insecticides. That said, my favourite method of pest control in the garden is to squish the BadCritters or eat the vegetables before they do. 🙂
My main target critter is aphids and caterpillars but it also controls thrips and whitefly.
Why do I use this spray?
Pyrethrum spray is made from the pyrethrum daisy and is a low toxic, natural product that breaks down quickly in sunlight. It is a non-systemic and only works on direct contact. This means you can choose when and where to spray with a known result.
Most if not all pyrethrum products use a enhancer additive called piperonyl butoxide. This has been found to reduce the insects’ capacity to process pyrethrum hence keeping it killing them for longer. Piperonyl butoxide is deemed to have a low toxicity to other organisms and quickly breaks down naturally.
As always, take care of yourself and others. Wear safety glasses, a mask and gloves when applying any garden spray. I always spray in the late evening after my bee friends have gone home.
Enjoy,
PK
Related Links:
- see my main page about BadCritters
- see more insecticide posts here
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Dipel Caterpillar Control
I don’t know why it has taken me so long to use this method of controlling that most common of gardening’s BadCritters, the pesky caterpillar.
Whilst I will still more often than not reach for the pyrethrum spray, Dipel has a place in my garden shed from now on. It comes in a powdered form and is not the bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis) itself but the crystalised toxins it produces. These toxins disrupt the caterpillars’ digestive tracts as they eat the leaves of your vegetables. They stop eating and starve to death.
You don’t need to worry about hurting bees and other GoodCritters with this spray though. They are in little danger as they don’t ingest enough of the toxins ie they are not munching the leaves.
It might take a few days for you to notice dead caterpillars and see the return of vigour to your leafy greens in particular. I spray every 10 days or so over the summer months.
As always, take care of yourself and others. Wear safety glasses, a mask and gloves when applying any garden spray.
I have you now BadCritter:
Enjoy,
PK
Related Links:
- see more insecticide posts here
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BadCritters: Aphids
These little plant suckers are often not noticed until their numbers are out of control. Another sign is that are often seen with ants that are “herding” them for the honeydew the aphids secret.
Species:
One of the many in the aphid superfamiy Aphidoidea.
Identification:
Damage:
Aphids suck the goodness out of the plants and this leads to them being in poor health. The honeydew they secrete attracts ants and fungal diseases and the holes they put in the plants can let in viruses.
Control:
I have only had a few infestations that my ladybird friends could not handle. In those cases I have used pyrethrum spray. I wait until my bee friends have gone to sleep though.
You can also use bio-oils or a good spray with the hose pipe will knock them off the plants.
More Resources:
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BadCritters: Small Pointed Snail
I don’t see many examples of this very shy BadCritter in my garden but I suspect there are lots of them hidden in the leaf litter. This one was munching on some radish leaves and his friends will like all of your leafy green edibles. Shame they are so cute but they are my radishes 🙂 .
Species: Cochlicella barbara
Identification:
Adults are only a few millimetres long.
Damage:
I think they are only a minor problem. I think they eat more detritus than greens.
Control:
Visual inspection of the top and bottom of leaves and removing them is generally sufficient. I squish them and push them into the soil so their shells are added to the soil mix.
More Resources:
- See more BadCritters here
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BadCritters: Tiger Moth Caterpillar
The caterpillar of this BadCritter will munch your salad greens just as happily as your non-edibles. Their hairy bodies have given them the nickname ‘woolly bears’.
I picked the caterpillar below of my snow pea plants and after its photo shoot it got dispatched 🙂 .
Bit of a shame as they are amazing to watch and the moth is attractive too.
Species: Ardices glatignyi
Identification:
Damage:
The caterpillars are voracious munchers of many trees, shrubs and vegetables found in the home garden.
Control:
Visual inspection of the top and bottom of leaves and removing any caterpillars is generally sufficient. You can buy traps and insecticides but I have never needed to use them.
More Resources:
- Check out this great resource http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/arct/glatig.html
- See more BadCritters here
Youtube:
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Nylex 5L Shoulder Sprayer: PK Reviews
The Nylex 5L and 8L Shoulder Sprayers are perfect for people with kitchen gardens, even large ones. I am reviewing several of the Nylex Sprayer range and I started with their Nylex 1.5L 360° Sprayer. Please see the other Nylex reviews here.
In short I couldn’t be more pleased with my 5L Shoulder Sprayer and I bought it for next to nothing from my local Bunnings. At ~$22 AUD it is very good value for money and one of my units has been in use for 3 years now.
This pressure sprayer is perfect for spraying plants with dense hard to reach foliage (such as chili plants and tomato plants) with both targeted solutions such as pyrethrum or full plant coverage solutions such as bio-oil. You could even use it on trees such as large citrus plants.
My favourite bio-oil by the way is http://ecoorganicgarden.com.au/products/pest-disease/eco-oil/ and no they are not paying me to say that :).
A trigger spray (although Nylex makes good/affordable versions of these) is not going to suffice as they can’t spray upside down and don’t have the holding capacity. Turning the leaves is going to end up getting spray on you and also leaf/foliage damage.
Note: This is not a paid post.
Product Reviewed:
- Nylex 5L Shoulder Sprayer
Pros:
- Very good build quality for a very low price
- 2 year warranty on the UV resistant plastic bottle
- Fibre glass wand with fan and jet nozzles works well with the D shaped handle or supplied shoulder strap to allow you to spray where you want and only where you want
- D shaped handle also makes for easy pumping and even stores the wand when not in use
- Lockable trigger on the wand
- Safety pressure release valve that also makes for easy de-pressuring when you are finished
- Easy to read incremented 1.0L marks so you can accurately mix your concentrate solutions
- Plastic sleeve for holding labels to indicate what type of solution you are keeping the sprayer for e.g.. fungicides vs insecticides (this is one of my favourite features as I don’t like to use the same sprayer for different treatments)
- Filter mechanism avoids blockages
- Spare o-rings etc are available
Cons:
- None that I can tell, sorry 🙂
Availability:
- Available at your local Bunnings https://www.bunnings.com.au/nylex-5l-shoulder-garden-sprayer_p2962002
The Verdict:
Great product at a very reasonable price and easy to store when not in use. Build quality is very high and you should get many years out of it. Once I bought my first one I could not go back. You are going to use a lot less plastic packaging and save money by using such a sprayer.
If you have any questions about the product range I recommend contacting the Nylex team at http://www.nylexwatering.com/contact-us/
Hope this review helps and feel free to send me any comments or corrections.
Enjoy,
PK
Hope this review helps,
PK
Related Links:
- See more Nylex posts here
- See our other product reviews here
- See more growing, catching and cooking equipment here
Please consider subscribing to get a weekly email summary of our posts.
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- see our other product reviews here
Please consider subscribing to get a weekly email summary of our posts.
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Written by
·
-
PK Reviews: Nylex 5L Shoulder Sprayer
The Nylex 5L and 8L Shoulder Sprayers are perfect for people with kitchen gardens, even large ones. I am reviewing several of the Nylex Sprayer range and I started with their Nylex 1.5L 360° Sprayer. Please see the other Nylex reviews here.
In short I couldn’t be more pleased with my 5L Shoulder Sprayer and I bought it for next to nothing from my local Bunnings. At ~$22 AUD it is very good value for money and one of my units has been in use for 3 years now.
This pressure sprayer is perfect for spraying plants with dense hard to reach foliage (such as chili plants and tomato plants) with both targeted solutions such as pyrethrum or full plant coverage solutions such as bio-oil. You could even use it on trees such as large citrus plants.
My favourite bio-oil by the way is http://ecoorganicgarden.com.au/products/pest-disease/eco-oil/ and no they are not paying me to say that :).
A trigger spray (although Nylex makes good/affordable versions of these) is not going to suffice as they can’t spray upside down and don’t have the holding capacity. Turning the leaves is going to end up getting spray on you and also leaf/foliage damage.
Note: This is not a paid post.
Product Reviewed:
- Nylex 5L Shoulder Sprayer
Pros:
- Very good build quality for a very low price
- 2 year warranty on the UV resistant plastic bottle
- Fibre glass wand with fan and jet nozzles works well with the D shaped handle or supplied shoulder strap to allow you to spray where you want and only where you want
- D shaped handle also makes for easy pumping and even stores the wand when not in use
- Lockable trigger on the wand
- Safety pressure release valve that also makes for easy de-pressuring when you are finished
- Easy to read incremented 1.0L marks so you can accurately mix your concentrate solutions
- Plastic sleeve for holding labels to indicate what type of solution you are keeping the sprayer for e.g.. fungicides vs insecticides (this is one of my favourite features as I don’t like to use the same sprayer for different treatments)
- Filter mechanism avoids blockages
- Spare o-rings etc are available
Cons:
- None that I can tell, sorry 🙂
Availability:
- Available at your local Bunnings https://www.bunnings.com.au/nylex-5l-shoulder-garden-sprayer_p2962002
The Verdict:
Great product at a very reasonable price and easy to store when not in use. Build quality is very high and you should get many years out of it. Once I bought my first one I could not go back. You are going to use a lot less plastic packaging and save money by using such a sprayer.
If you have any questions about the product range I recommend contacting the Nylex team at http://www.nylexwatering.com/contact-us/
Hope this review helps and feel free to send me any comments or corrections.
Enjoy,
PK
Related Links:
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