Another Little Frustration

  Back during the winter (or as I call it "lack of winter"), Son needed to use the table saw that was in the back yard by the shed.  Since he had been using it every day or so, he would not move it back into the shed but, rather, would cover it well.  When he went to remove the cover, there were hundreds of leaf-footed bugs hiding beneath the cover.  They were a bit surprised that their overwintering spot had been discovered and scattered about the place before I could douse them with bug spray.  I hate those things!  They ruin more tomatoes than any other critter.  Well, almost.  This year, the squirrels have hauled off about half of my tomatoes but, still, the leaf-footed bugs do their damage, as well.

  This year, I have been fortunate as to not see nearly as many of the bugs as in the past.  Today was the first day that I spied four or five on the tomato plants.  Well, whoopee-doo!  The tomatoes are all gone for the moment so the bugs may be a tad discouraged.  These bugs have piercing, sucking mouth parts that would blotch each tomato before it ripened.  Hopefully, they will be so downhearted that they will move elsewhere!

  The leaf-footed bugs are true bugs.  They are distant kin to those nasty stinkbugs and, like them, do emit a foul odor when squished.  This afternoon, I smacked three of them and the stench was pretty bad.  At least, I managed to get rid of those!  If you look closely at the above photograph, you can see why the bugs are named as such.  They have a flared growth on their hind legs which gives them a leaf-footed appearance.  While I am pleased that I have not seen too many this year, I really could do without them altogether!  Go away, bug!!

Well, That Stinks!

  I admit it.  I am truly not a fan of stinkbugs of any sort.  They are some of the critters that I find offensive in just about every way possible.  Ugh!  These critters can ruin a good tomato on the vine in just a few minutes flat, they multiple rapidly and smell terrible!  All of those things put them on the "Do Not Like" list.

  More work is being done on the Little Bayou House.  This is required due to another bug (probably the worst of the bunch) called a termite.  Those things are eating my house!  But...back to the stinkbugs.   The critters in question today were none other than Leaf-footed Bugs.  These stinkbugs are true bugs and some of the creepiest ever.  Son had to move the table saw from one side of the yard to the other to make it a tad more convenient.  Since the work is ongoing and since the saw is heavy, we have just been covering it instead of moving it back into the shed.  The black tarp kept the rain out ok but also made the perfect hibernation spot for stinkbugs.  The weather has been quite chilly as of late so the bugs have all been looking for warm spots.  The saw was selected as their haven.  When Son removed the tarp, hundreds of the stinkbugs were found.  Ugh...again. He called for me to get the spray.  All in all, we probably could have filled a half-gallon bucket with stinky critters, if we were so inclined...I was not...not at all!  So instead of filling any bucket, I sprayed them.

  A good spraying eliminated the problem rather quickly.  I should have taken a "before" photograph but it is just not in my nature to think before killing bugs.  I sprayed...bugs started scattering...bugs fell off the saw, into the grass and died.  THEN, I get the idea to photograph the critters for no other reason than to warn others that it is time for the stinkbugs to be hunting warm spots (like black tarps).  Maybe there is a positive outlook to all of the critters in the saw.  Perhaps by killing so many at one time, there will be fewer in the garden come spring.  I doubt it but the thought brought a smile to my face anyway!

Feast For The Frogs!

  At daybreak, the Boysenberries were sparkling like jewels on the vines. My bucket was fast filling to the brim which made me smile as I thought of the delicious pie that I had made just the night before.  These, however, would be made into jelly.  Picking was easy since these berries are huge.  Normally, I reach in, grab a berry and plop it in the bucket with nary a thought.  Perhaps I should change my method as one berry was covered with critters!  Ugh!

  One adult leaffooted bug was surrounded by a whole slew of nymphs. This, in itself, was a tad strange as the bugs do not care for their young. They lay the eggs and leave.  The eggs and nymphs are left on their own. But it was not the presence of the adult that frustrated me.  Those rascals were sucking the juice right out of my berries!  Nope, not happening!  Sorry. Bugs you have to go.  While I hate spraying chemicals on my plants that provide food, I am not adverse to snipping a limb and tossing it into the frog pond.  There the frogs can do the dirty work.  Sure enough, once the branch hit the water, the nymphs scattered. This sent the frogs into a feeding frenzy which did nothing but make me smile!  Way to go, froggies!  

  The leaffooted bugs are a regular nuisance as they not only suck the juice from fruit, they can ruin entire crops depending upon their numbers.  With my berries under attack, it was only commonsense to eradicate this bunch while they were still nymphs. It only takes a few days before they mature enough to lay a billion (at least it seems that way) eggs on the underside of the leaves.  Our lack of winter this past year seems to have graced us with more bugs than necessary.  My contribution is to feed the frogs as many as possible.  Love my frogs!

Connecticut, would you kindly take these bugs?

  As far as I can tell, there is only one downside to this "organic" gardening. Growing fruit and veggies that are bug-free is hard work! Don't get me wrong, I always have gardened this way and always will but, still, sometimes things get a bit frustrating.  While I am used to going out and handpicking tomato worms, I draw the line at doing the same to stinkbugs.  Those things are just foul!  I must find an easier, more nose-friendly method of eliminating these critters from my tomato plants.  

  Late this evening, I went out with Ms. Ez.  The old dog needed a bit of attention so a walk was in order.  My good intentions were waylaid by critters.   The tomato plants were literally covered with the Leaf-footed Bugs.  These are large insects that belong to that smelly group of stinkbugs.  They climb around on the plants ruining any fruit that dares look delightfully edible.  The bug sticks its long proboscis in through the tender flesh and sucks portions of it dry.  After getting its fill, the critter moves on to another tomato but the damage to the first one is not finished. Hard knots form around the point of proboscis entry rendering the fruit just about unusable.  The unsightly blemishes make for one unappetizing tomato.

  I counted over two dozen of the Leaf-footed Bugs on one plant.  They were all grouped together in wads so at least that part was easy. Smash! I killed dozens upon dozens of the varmints!  Poor Ms. Ez was in no way pleased with our shortened walk.  Strange thing is, I now find that some misguided folks in Connecticut are advising people to "gently grasp the insects and move them to a more suitable location". (And they are talking about the same bug here!) Right!  Let me know how that is working for you, Kind, Gentle Folks of Connecticut!  I hate to tell you but these things will come right back to haunt you if you let them! I do believe that most folks in Connecticut, just like here on the Bayou, realize that sometimes it is better to get rid of bugs instead of inviting them to be house-guests. Come this winter, those who refuse to eradicate them, will find them as squatters in their homes. The bugs will (and really do.) love to invade the closet and snuggle down in warm clothes to overwinter.  Moving them to a "more suitable" location is out of the question for me.....unless!  Unless, I can move them right on up to a more suitable location in Connecticut!  That should keep them off my tomatoes!

Creepy Crawlies!

As a rule, I am not afraid of bugs. I had better not be since I can usually be found playing in the garden or hiking around in the woods where there is always an abundance of critters. They do not scare me..I am more interested in them than anything. The insect world seems to teem with critters of all shapes, sizes and colors and I think just about all of them live on the Bayou with me!

I was out in the garden examining the crowder peas when I noticed a rather large grasshopper. He was just lounging about eating my pea leaves! I did not bother to shoo him away as the peas have way too many leaves. This excess of leaves makes it difficult to find the peas so I figure maybe he was helping me in his own hungry way. Grasshoppers are not terrifying..they are not even remotely scary. They do not threaten in any way but merely look at you with their beady eyes and munch.

A bit later I came across another of the Leaf footed Bugs. I knew now that these are harmless even if they do make enough racket to wake the dead and smell nigh as bad as a polecat! This ugly-bug was not one that would make the skin crawl unless you were one prone to the heebie-jeebies!

Why I did not even get a case of the jitters when a Praying Mantis decided to use my clothesline poles as a shortcut to the blueberry bushes. I was ok..this little guy is definitely a friend! I can recall a time when I realized that perhaps I was pushing the "friendly" bug thing a bit too far with my children. One night about twenty years ago, I went in my daughter's bedroom to hug her goodnight just to find her happily playing with a Praying Mantis. She wanted to keep him in her room and let him sleep on her pillow! Nope, Praying Mantids do not scare me!

Live bugs just do not frighten me..fake ones on the other hand..might. I have been working on the hallway for about a week now. With all of the tearing out and reconstruction, the doors have been propped open for extended periods of time..anything smaller than an elephant could have crawled in unnoticed. (Maybe even the elephant could have if he tiptoed!) Many things probably did..and many things will be swatted as they make their appearance known. Today, however, when I was painting the door jambs, I heard what sounded a lot like a critter crawling around somewhere in my near proximity. I listened..where and what was that noise? Flippity..flippity..flippity! Ok..so there was a critter here somewhere. I grabbed a magazine and started the search. Flippity..flippity. I narrowed the sound down to my daughter's vacant room..oh, geez...that Praying Mantis could not possibly be still in there! Flippity..flippity..it was going crazy now! I had to start giggling when I found my "critter". There in a jar was this butterfly thing that my sweet niece had given to me back in March. It is a fake Monarch Butterfly that has a little fiber optic cord attached to it that runs to a battery in the jar lid. Static makes it flip flop around the jar just as a real butterfly would if disturbed. It must have been very disturbed as the goofy thing was going bonkers in the jar! Perhaps the battery is running low or maybe there is just a mass of static electricity in my daughter's bedroom..who knows. I must say..this one had me a tad bit scared..not of the bug itself but rather that one was flippitying around in my house! Thanks, Eva! You and little Evan brought me the only critter that gave me the heebie-jeebies..and it was not even real! heehee!

Bugs!

I am a bit frustrated at my garden! The only thing growing at the moment are the bell peppers, assorted hot peppers and the crowder peas. Oh..and while we are about it..does anyone know why field peas are called crowder peas? Actually, I guess you could say that I am more frustrated at the garden pests than the garden. I was out in the back garden picking a few crowder peas when all of a sudden, I heard a strange noise! It was sort of a clicking-buzzing sound and seemed to be quite close to my ear! Not knowing just what the noisemaker was, I instinctively waved my hand in the air. I had hopes of scaring the "whatever" away. It did not happen. The clicking-buzzing continued. I turned quickly to stare at empty space..where was this noisemaker?? Then of all things..phew!..a stench! I knew then the identity of my loud garden visitor! I turned again and peered about..somewhere..somewhere close..there was a..EEEEEK! Out of the corner of my eye, I spied the critter..or pair of critters! I knew it was close but had not planned on the Leaf-footed Bug to be ON me! Crawling on my back was the pair of ugly bugs! I flipped the goofy things off on the ground...UGH! STOMP! No more bug..just a lingering stench.

The Leaf-footed Bug is one of the largest true "bugs" in the insect world. It can reach to over an inch in length and if you count their legs in this length, they would be about two inches! Now mine was a pair of bugs so when you double that length...THAT IS SCARY! Nah...bugs do not scare me..just teasing there! Still, I had no desire for them to be creepy-crawling around on my back! As I said this was a pair (as in mating) so there was double the odor. That is enough to send the Ick Factor soaring! These are some of my least favorite of garden visitors..these and stinkbugs! They do so much damage, not only to the peas but to the stalks and blossoms. The Leaf-footed Bug has a long, sucking mouthpart that they poke into the fruit or stalk and suck out all the juices. This will cause misshapen fruit and veggies and a soon-to-be dead plant. I was not happy to see a goodly number of them on my peas. (And all mating..this means tons more soon!) I am pondering the idea of a garlic spray for the peas. This seemed to work on the small green stinkbugs that invaded the tomato plants last Spring so perhaps it will rid the garden of the Leaf-footed Bugs as well. I do hope so on any account!

Now..do you know why field peas are called "crowder" peas? Someone told me something the other day and it entirely makes sense even if it is not accurate! I was thinking perhaps someone named "Crowder" had maybe developed the pea into what it is today and so it was given that name...but NOOOO! It is actually much better! They are called crowder because they are crowded in the pods! This crowding causes the peas to have "squarish" or squished ends! They are just crowded! Now..tell me...don't you just like this reason! Crowder Peas!