[compost_tea] aphids and tent caterpillars

From: Susan Cruver <scruver_at_msn.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2003 13:31:50 -0700

I'm with Jeff. Once you've knocked the aphids off, they may not return. A=
ny liquid will do that. If they've laid eggs, more aphids might appear. P=
erhaps ACT coating the eggs is detrimental to hatching and you've prevented=
 their return by spraying, or maybe it's just good luck if they don't retur=
n. Jeff's greenhouse is a better test; greenhouses are spas for nasty bugs=
.

When Bob first raved about ACT stopping tent caterpillars, I brewed up a bi=
g batch and sprayed everything I could reach. Seattle, where Bob has his w=
arehouse, had a few tent caterpillars. Kitsap County, where I live, was th=
e center of the infestation. I can't say it didn't help--maybe things woul=
d have been worse without it. ACT certainly didn't arrest activity of all =
the tents I sprayed. They didn't like getting wet but resumed activity wit=
hin a few hours. However, I was able to reach only a small fraction of the=
 tents as I have 5+ acres of forest, with many alders (the caterpillars' fa=
vorite food).

All my alders were 50-100% defoliated. I sprayed Bt on my fruit trees, whi=
ch did kill caterpillars. The trouble is, the caterpillars have to eat a b=
it of the foliage in order for their digestive systems to seize up. This i=
nfestation was of biblical proportions, so everything they liked was defoli=
ated, Bt or no, as another caterpillar started munching as the previous one=
 was dying. Then they started on the stuff they didn't especially like, br=
oadleaf evergreens of the Heath family like native rhododendrons, salal and=
 evergreen huckleberries.

This is more than anyone wants to know, I'm sure, but experiencing an insec=
t infestation of this magnitude is amazing.

In conclusion, I hope we will be careful about not overselling ACT. Health=
y plants definitely resist pests and my personal experience attests to that=
 (excepting the epic infestation). But ACT can sound like snake oil easily=
 enough if you're just describing its positive affect on plant growth and h=
ow it can outcompete pathenogenic organisms when applied to foliage. I sha=
re the enthusiasm for ACT but hope we don't overreach.

Susan Cruver



Received on Sat Aug 23 2003 - 01:03:26 EDT

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