Crazy Way to Catch Garden Bugs

kbmbillups1
kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

You guys will probably think this is kinda crazy but I have leafhoppers that are too fast going around the back or front of stems or leaves for me to flick in soapy water.

So, I've been using one of these yellow sticky bug catchers on one side of the stem or leaf and a stick or something on the other & I've been catching a lot of them! They're pretty strong though and try to pull themselves off the sticky.

I started a new sticky so I wouldn't upload a picture of a bunch of dead bugs.

Today I used a metal rod to push the leafhopper to the sticky on the other side of the stems.

I bought a pack of 24 on Amazon. I've found they work great inside too for catching fruit flies.

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Comments

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Watch out though, those traps can get you too!

    I use the sticky traps inside because fungus gnats have plagued me since I moved to this part of the country.

    My cats have gotten them stuck to their tails.

    They have dropped while I was handling them and stuck to plant foliage.

    My bending over has sometimes got my long hair stuck to them, and so on...

    I'm glad you don't leave them installed outside like the manufacturers suggest or you would be capturing bees, hummingbirds, etc. (Those darn things are soooo sticky.)

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl One of our cats got one stuck on her tail as well! I only took the cover off of one side and set it non sticky side down on the table. Our cat got it stuck on her tail and went crazy jumping around. It took us a few minutes to figure out what was going on because she's a Main Coon and has a super hairy tale.

    Other than my cat I've only caught flies and fruit flies with mine. Wish I could catch mosquitos with them!

    Speaking of bees, I've only seen a few of them this year. I've mostly seen bumble bees and wasps.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Not seeing bees is concerning. Possibly the nearby hives are hit with that mite infestation, or pesticides nearby have decimated the ones you would normally see.

    I indulge in a sad moment when I see a bee obviously dying on the ground, assuming that a neighbor is using a bad compound in their yard.

  • Cornelius
    Cornelius Posts: 872 ✭✭✭✭

    Mosquito dunks/ bits are supposed to be able to kill soil gnats in their larval stage. It has a parasitic bacteria that kills them, but is harmless to humans according to the description. I have not used it personally, but plan to in the future.

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Cornelius I cannot find any standing water in my backyard that mosquitos could be breeding in. Yet I get bit like crazy just walking outside. Do you think I could make my own standing water and add one of those mosquito dunks and it would get rid of my mosquito problem?

    I saw a home remedy where you mix brown sugar with warm water, dissolve it, and add a package of yeast. All that goes in the bottom of a 1 liter soda bottle with the top half cut off and inverted in the bottom half. I mixed it up. I figured it couldn't hurt so why not try it. I can say I've been bitten less but still getting bit. I can't tell if anything is in the mixture b/c it's already brownish and yucky looking.

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl Speaking of getting things stuck to your hair...

    I once fell down in a patch of burdock, and got so many burdock seeds attached to my long hair that I had to cut off a significant amount of hair to get it all out!

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My long hair is a real nuisance if left loose: tries to get rolled up with the garden hose, dips into the sink, gets caught by the end of my covered glass -- it tries to attach to everything!

    I am old enough, and was poor enough to have had a wringer washing machine in my youth; my long hair at that time tried to get into the wringer.

    It defeats the purpose of long hair if it has to be contained all the time. I plan on getting it cut to shoulder length this week, long enough to tie back when windy, short enough to hopefully avoid capture.

  • gardneto76
    gardneto76 Posts: 528 ✭✭✭✭

    @kbmbillups1 the mosquito dunks & bits only kill the larvae of mosquitos. You can use them in plants to kill the larvae of fungus gnats as well. The active ingredient in them is Bacillus Thuricide or BT for short. It does nothing for the adult insects. You can often find BT in a liquid form to control caterpillars. That can be sprayed and may help control things that are eating the plant leaves. We use a lot of it out here for skeletonizer larvae/caterpillars that eat grape leaves.

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @gardneto76 Thanks! I would love to find something that's not loaded with chemicals that would help control mosquitos. Also wish I could figure out where they're breeding since we don't have any standing water. We've had A LOT of rain almost every day but we've moved anything that can hold small amounts of rainwater. Crazy times!

  • annbeck62
    annbeck62 Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭✭

    I use them inside for the little bugs that seem to show up when I make kefir. One day a fly got in the house and got caught on it but was struggling and trying to get off. I didn't want to rip it's legs off by trying to help so I took it outside and set it on the ground thinking he might figure it out. What I hadn't anticipated was we have little lizards here that eat insects, one saw the fly but didn't realize it was on a trap. The lizard ended up getting trapped as well. The lizard and the fly died on the trap. I have to admit, I felt bad about it.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    You can use vegetable oil to remove creatures from sticky traps. I did that once with a small lizard that was caught. I couldn't confirm how much skin damage he took, but he was alive when I let him loose. (I would have a hard time using the mouse sticky traps; I feel badly enough about how long it takes for the insects to die, but scorpions and fungus gnats are very difficult to control.)

  • annbeck62
    annbeck62 Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl thanks for the tip. If it ever happens again I will try that.

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl That's a good idea! Thanks!

  • Cornelius
    Cornelius Posts: 872 ✭✭✭✭

    @kbmbillups1 I think by adding standing water near your house you may increase the amount of mosquitos that are already present. Do you have a lot of pots or raised beds? I have noticed that some of my containers my be allowing the mosquitos to breed even though there is no standing water that I can see.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @kbmbillups1 if it works, that is great and a good idea!

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Cornelius Yes, I have several raised beds and 3 of those black cloth grow bags. I've since learned that several of my neighbors are having their yards sprayed for mosquitos. I know it's really not logical, but I feel like all of the mosquitos are coming to my yard.

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Lisa K You mean the stickies? They work great as long as you have a stick or something else to use on the other side of the stem to trick the leafhopper into going towards the sticky. Once stuck you got em!

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    We live in Alaska which is known for how many mosquitos we have. They are even nicknamed our state bird because there are so many.

    We used a mosquito magnet and it did wonders. Had electricity back then which was good as they did not have the battery powered version back then. Ran it non stop of quite awhile at first. Within the fist few weeks we would have to empty the little net catch bin multiple times a week as it caught so many it would literally be so full no more could get in. From what I have read they are territorial insects. Unless the winds blow them badly off their area they tend to stay within a fairly small area their whole lives. Even the damp weeds can provide homes for them.

    After a year or so we rarely had any trouble with mosquitoes again and I am one of those people that everything finds and bites.

    This is the battery version, the electric model is cheaper.


  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @vickeym Wow! Those sound great!! Wish I had extra money to buy one.

    I saw several people making fan traps. I have an unused fan and extra screen. Think I'm going to try it. Even if it only works while I'm outside that would be great!!

  • marjstratton
    marjstratton Posts: 1,132 ✭✭✭✭

    Sounds like something interesting to look in to. We had quite a few mosquitos a few weeks ago, but they have pretty much subsided since the weather has turned drier.

  • SuperC
    SuperC Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭

    We’ve been using this mosquito plant to deter them, uncertain of its name tho.

  • gardneto76
    gardneto76 Posts: 528 ✭✭✭✭

    There is a Company called DynaTrap. They make a mosquito trap that has a blue light that creates carbon dioxide to lure in the mosquitos. They are then sucked into the machine via airflow and trapped into a catch basin and dehydrated. I have 2 of them and they work pretty well. You do have to change the light bulbs every 4 months. You can find the traps on their website, and a few retail stores. I have even seen them at Costco, but they don’t carry the light bulbs.

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thanks @SuperC . Is that a citronella plant?

    Thanks @gardneto76 I'll look into it.

  • water2world
    water2world Posts: 1,177 ✭✭✭✭

    @kbmbillups1 I can't even imagine something that sticky!! I would love getting rid of the fruit flies! Will have to try that!

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @water2world They work great for fruit flies. Put them in a plant or even just in a cup and the fruit flies can't help themselves!

  • Donna
    Donna Posts: 21 ✭✭✭

    I'm in a desert area and even in the middle of a heat wave the mosquitos are worse than they have ever been here. There is no standing water, but they seem to be using the moisture from the soil after I water. I think they are breeding in my house even because they are abundant (and aggressive) inside once the sun goes down even though all the windows have screens and I close the doors as the sun is going down to try to stop them from coming in the house. I think were breeding in the water trapped in the s-bend of the sinks/shower. I have a screen strainer in the one kitchen sink that I use for water and if just a little food is trapped in there causing some moisture to collect there are tons of them in there. What really baffles me is in my office, with no water at all and the furthest room from any water source there seem to be more of them than any other room in the house!

    I have taken to wearing a mosquito head net.

  • Donna
    Donna Posts: 21 ✭✭✭

    I think this is what is happening in my case too. I usually water in the late afternoon/evening because it's so hard to water during the day and not get any drops on the leaves which will become magnifying glasses in the sun, but night is when the mosquitoes all come out in force.

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Donna It was a thought because I was frustrated with getting bit multiple times every time I went outside. I never did it.

    The fan trick works great! The weather is beginning to change here so thankfully there will be less mosquitos.

  • SuperC
    SuperC Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭

    A Mosquito Geranium, and yes, it works :) @Donna