2 garden pests

[WTM]

that i dont usually have trouble with BUT this year i havent seen as many lady bugs in the garden. my guess on their absence may be due to the bifenthrin that i sprayed the house with and killed a blue million of them(by orders of my wife lol) or it could be the the thousands of crickets that have called my garden home.

anyhoo, these are red spider mites and flea beetles that have spread on my tomato and eggplants respectively. a quick spray of neem oil this evening(1oz/gallon) makes quick work of them. i always cut the recommended dose/gallon in half in mid summer as i dont want to take a chance of burning the leaves with a full dose.

 

[WTM]

oh yeah some folks think that spider mites are aphids and use Sevin to combat them. Sevin doesn not work so a miticide has to be used. there are some toxic insecticides like pyrethrin and malithion that will kill them but i like to use neem oil when i can and it works for tiny insects like these as it is non toxic to pollinators as well as a fungicide. BUT there are some plants that you cant use neem oil on but graden vegetables and herbs are safe to use it on.