I am in Houston TX and am having trouble with leaf footed bug on tomatos (in particular). I have tried catch and kill by hand and while have got many aver the past two weeks, I feel I am loosing the war. I am also trying to keep the garden organic and want a pesticide that can be applied near harvest time. I also am having trouble with local bee populations for pollination so I do not want to kill bees.
Ideas?
There are many types of beetles and bugs which can wreak havoc in the garden. Some of these are quite persistent. The leaf footed bug is both big and intimidating and there are many species active around the United States. In most cases you’ll only see one or two and they won’t amass in any significant numbers. But when they do, if they’re feeding on any one plant they can have an impact. The good news is you have plenty of options when it comes to controlling local populations.
Based on the fact you stated you’re trying to keep an organic garden, I’ll limit my suggesting to either the 3 IN 1 SPRAY or the MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER. Both are organic and can be used right up the last day of harvest so they are very safe. But we’ve found both to be quite active on tough hard shelled insects like the leaf footed bug. Treat every 2-4 weeks once the problem is resolved and you won’t see many if any come back. We have seen these two products have a repellency action so they will do a good job of warning bees so they’ll stay clear of treated plants too.
Here are direct links to the products mentioned above:
3 In 1 Spray: https://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/3-in-1-fim-32-oz
Multipurpose Insect Killer: https://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/multi-purpose-insect-killer-24-oz
Comments on leaf footed bug on tomatos
I have had SERIOUS problems with this insect swarming on my tomato plants. There are usually 3 bugs to each tomato. Are there any products you can recommend?
If you want something organic, go with one of the products listed above like the Multi Purpose Insect Killer. It works great on this pest and can be used daily if need be. We also have some “stronger” products like the Vegetables Plus Permethrin. This product can be seen in our Leaf-Footed Plant Bug article here:
http://www.bugspray.net/leaffooted-bugs/leaf-footed-bug-control.html