Bark eaters

[twunit]

Hi all,

I have a bit of a problem with my girls growing in the NSW bush. Actually its a major problem really. I am having insect attack on the ladies that I have never seen before, and I've been doing this since ummm, forever, 40 odd years.. There are dark brown robust beetle looking things eating the bark on my ladies. They are not in plague proportions, just a bug here and a bug there.. Of course I pick em off and squash them. But I can't be there every day, and they are so savage they will destroy a largish plant in a day. They are only eating the bark, nothing else, where they have been, the stem is void of bark for a few inches, effectively ringbarking each stem in turn, and killing the stems, eventually the whole plant is lost. They are about 15mm long, hard to squash, dark brown beetley looking critters with large teeth. Has anyone ever encountered them before. I was thinking of hitting the plants with systemic insecticide, but I have always grown relatively organic, so it goes against my views, but if I don't, I will end up with nothing. I was wondering if the coppers would be capable of introducing biological control of pot patches. I know that sounds far fetched, but I've been using this spot for 25 years, and I've never seen the bugs before.. Any ideas for a good systemic spray that won't hurt the girls would be most appreciated..

Cheers B.B.

[MediKat]

Eco Neem or eco oil and use as a soil drench also.

[merl1n]

Some creepy crawlies can't walk over certain substances.

For example slugs and snails hate coffee. I pour a ring of used coffee grinds around the base of plants and have no problems with slugs and snails.

If you can properly identify your pest you maybe able to find a specific natural deterrent to stop the attack.

 

Merl1n