Insect Control in Garden

[ems1978]

I was wondering if there are any other beekeepers on here that also garden. If so, I have a very specific question.

I have a very large garden (about the size of 1/4 football field), and the front corner of the garden is about 20 yards from my hives. I placed my hives here intentionally so my veggies could benefit from the pollination. Well there was 1 thing I didn't think about, and that is Squash Bores. The past 2 years, Squash Bores have destroyed all my squash plants about halfway through the season. So I was only able to get about half the yield out of them.

I have kept the garden 100% organic in years past, but this year a landscaper friend recommended a product called Talstar to control Squash Bores. The dilemma is that it is highly toxic to bees, so obviously I can't go that route. Does anyone have any recommendations for ways to control Squash Bores that are non-toxic to bees?

Thanks in advance.

[Wally]

White powdered lime. Coat the plants liberally. It not only protects the plants, but it also raises the PH of the soil, making the veggies grow better. Replace after each rain.

It is sold as quick lime or hydrated lime. Quick lime works best, but hydrated lime is safer for the user.

[milkman]

Is Dipel ok to use with bees?

[Wally]

http://www.valent.com/agriculture/produ ... /index.cfm

[Zulu]

Is Dipel ok to use with bees?

Dipel is just BT , same as we use for Wax moth on extracted comb. Not good to spray directly on bees though and also off label

[Jacobs]

Dipel is one variety of BT, but is NOT the variety that used to be approved in the U.S. and I still believe is approved for use in Canada against wax moth larvae in the comb. Dipel in the garden has a very low toxicity to honey bees, and I would not hesitate to use it on appropriate plants.

I think Xentari, a commercial brand of the BT variety that does kill wax moth larvae, is approved for use on corn to control the worms/larvae that attack the forming ears. If so, I will try it on my small backyard corn crop along with a misting of diluted Tabasco sauce to try and keep the squirrels from taking the 90 % they have gotten of my last plantings of corn.

The Tabasco mist has worked to keep the rabbits from gnawing my young blueberry plants.