Are Harlequin bugs having their way with your garden? They are a pretty bug but menacing, with damage in store for plants. However, before you reach for those chemical sprays that take no prisoners, think twice...
Steps
- Avoid chemical sprays. Chemical sprays are indiscriminate and will kill all the predators of this bug. And, you will most likely discover that it survived even though its predators did not.
- Be proactive. Put on the gardening gloves and start physically removing them. Go out early morning when you can catch them congregating and shake them off the plant onto a sheet of newspaper or plastic below. Pluck of any that hang on and toss them on the pile. Try popping or tipping them into a jar which is partially filled with methylated spirits; this will kill them quickly. Soapy water in a bucket also works well. Beware squashing them - they stink; hence the reason for wearing gloves.
- Be patient. Their predators will eventually succeed but it is a cycle that requires patience. Within about 18 months, the balance should be restored to the garden and the harlequin bugs will be back under control.
- Keep weeds under control. Healthy plants are more resistant to bug infestations. Give plants a better chance by removing competitors in the form of weeds. And keep all the good plants well watered and fertilised.
- Watch the brassicas. Harlequins like them. They are also partial to radishes and turnips.
- Consider using a garden vacuum as another means for mopping them up.
- Use a garden shovel or funnel to collect the bugs and tip them into the bucket or jar if you are squeamish.
- Soap spray can sometimes work if it contacts the bugs directly on the plant.
- Gardening gloves
- Plastic sheet or newspapers for catching the bugs
- Jar partly filled with methylated spirits, or a bucket of soapy water
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