Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Something is tucking into my mizuna and also silver beet inthe conventional beds. Can't find anything on the underside - leaves have lots of little patches eaten away...






What would be the best treatment for an unidentified pest like this?

Catapillars? Try some dipel?

If its caterpillars you'll find them if you look hard enough, at a day or two old they will only be a small yellow line. In a few days you will start to see tiny pin head poos directly below the leaves. Otherwise, if you dont see them or their poos, I'd say its slugs or snails.

I reckon katydid/grasshoppers
they are good at hiding when you go look for them

theres def some pin head poos about. are they exclusive to caterpillars?

I've noticed caterpillars are the most likely culprit of poo at my place (that sounds weird), by I think thrips might also leave tiny ones. If they are caterpillars they won't be small poos for long! You will also probably find tiny little eggs poking out on the underside of the leaves.

For future reference, white/grey aphids leave a white powdery, water resistant, residue under the plant if they are present in massive numbers. It can get this bad if you have lots of plants and the one they are attacking is obscured by other plants. I'm not sure if it is their poo, or if they shed their skin, or what, but it is gross stuff. The other thing I look out for with aphids is curled new growth...somehow they curl the leave to conceal themselves.

A few days on and its easy to find the caterpillas now - small green ones. I applied Dipel this morning, only for it to rain torrentially about 1 hour later Guess I'll have to wait until the rain stops...

What do people use to apply Dipel? Is a watering can ok, or should a pressurized sprayer be used. I used a hand mister, though that was a PITA.

A few little moth things took off from the mizuna and radish this morning - after a bit of googling it looks like the culprit is the diamond back (cabbage) moth. There seems to be a bit of confusion as to people calling cabbage white butterflys cabbage moths, though the two seem totally different!

Are there any other controls that can limit their number - eg wasps etc?

The thumb and the forefinger.

If the caterpillars were bigger than 10mm that would be a fun way of feeding the fish - if not time intensive

It takes a fair bit of concentration to pick one of the little suckers up as they are small. Wonder if a frog would help out if I asked it nicely?

Lacewings might help control them.. http://www.bugsforbugs.com.au/product/l ... -predators

Was just looking into getting some for the same reason..

Dipel comes in 5g sachets which is way too much for the average backyard AP system, especially since it doesn't keep once mixed up with water.
I cut mine into 1g and only use that in a 1L spray bottle, even that I find too much for my 4 bathtub system.

now the aphids have moved in and are smashing the mizuna - seem to be totally killing leaves off that then go dry, brown and crispy. Is there any treatment possible other than manual removal?

They're making the caterpillars look like perfect guests in comparison!

Lots and lots of Ladybirds Matt. Or sticky traps

yeah - I was trying the 'leave them and the good bugs will come approach', though I think that may not be working. do the usual suspects (B's) sell the sticky traps?

Interestingly its nearly all in the one bed that has been connected to my barra quarantine tank with 4 ppt salt in it, so maybe salt and mizuna don't get on and the salt has weakened the plants?

I've now un quarnatined the barra so they share water (but not a tank) with the SP and the system salt has been dropped to 1PPT so we'll see what that does - temp should be a bit more stable so should make the barra happier and hopefully less shy!