Adult harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica, Photograph by: James Castner, University of Florida

The following is an except from the article title Pest Management Methods. The full article can be found at : http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uj243.pdf

Physical methods

Pests can be removed from plants physically. For example, some aphids and mites can be knocked off by spraying the plant with water. Bagworm larvae can be picked off an infested plant.You can use traps to catch certain pests, and barriers to protect plants from insect attack or disease infection. One effective method for controlling gypsy moth larvae on small numbers of trees is to put a band of folded burlap around the tree trunk to provide an artificial resting site for the caterpillars, then destroy the caterpillars that gather there. Applying an antitranspirant spray to lilac leaves in summer to prevent infection by the spores of powdery mildew is another example of a protective barrier. In some cases, the best solution may be physically removing the plant and replacing it with one that will not be affected by the pest or disease. Thinning crowded plants to improve air circulation can reduce many disease problems.

Biorational methods

Biorational methods can be divided into two groups. The first group includes living organisms that can kill the pest. The second group includes naturally occurring biochemicals that are harmful to the pest yet often harmless to other living organisms. Insect pests frequently have natural enemies that are beneficial to the landscape. These beneficial insects often exist in the landscape naturally, but they also can be introduced. “Beneficials” may be predators or parasites. One common example of a beneficial predator is the lady beetle. Both the larvae

and adult lady beetles eat aphids and other soft-bodied insects. Other predators include lacewings, spined soldier bugs, flower flies, and spiders. Parasites live on and often kill another organism, called the host. Some parasitic wasps use caterpillars, whiteflies, aphids, and

soft scales as hosts. An example of a method that uses a naturally occurring biochemical is the

bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Bt contains a protein that is poisonous to specific insects yet harmless to other organisms. Bt can be sprayed on plants. When the sensitive insect pest feedson the sprayed leaves, it will ingest the protein and die.

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Mosquitoes are a pest to humans and animals and can be a safely concern with the spread of West Nile Virus. The following is a mosquito spray repellant recipe that can be used around gardens and yards.

Mosquito Spray

There are several versions of the garlic mosquito spray depending on the desired use. To make garlic spray concentrate:

• Liquefy 2 cloves(whole bulbs) of garlic in a blender that is 1/2 to 2/3 full of water.
• Strain all the solids out and add enough water to the remaining juice to make 1 gallon of concentrate.

For mosquitoes you can also add a couple of ounces of orange oil (found at organic nurseries) to the one gallon of concentrate.

For other pests, you can add 2 hot peppers into the blender with the garlic when making the concentrate. Jalapenos work well but Habanero peppers are the top choice. One bit of warning is that you wash your hands well after you make the concentrate to get the pepper off your hands. Accidently rubbing your eyes with the pepper residue still on them makes for a very unpleasant experience.

To make the spray solution, you use 1/4 of a cup of the concentrate per gallon of water as a spray. You can put the spray in a hose-end sprayer for application.

For the best application, I would reccomend the use of a handheld fogger. An example of a handheld fogger can be found at http://www.nixalite.com/hurricane.aspx  .  I have seen this fooger used in person and can attest to its quality. I have no ties (finacial or otherwise) to this brand or style of fogger. Smaller less expensive foggers are available can be found with a simple search online.

The spray formula can also be used to kill mosquito larvea on standing water!. To do this, just use the garlic for the spray concentrate(no peppers) then add the 1/4 cup of garlic concentrate, 2 ounces of soybean oil and 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap(non-scented) to make 1 gallon of mix. The soap allows the oil to emulsify in the mix and the oil covers the standing water in a very thin layer which suffocates the mosquito larvea. Only use the oil and soap in mixes on standing water. This also can be applied with a fogger.

Here is an article about mosquitoes and how to mangage them:

http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/mosquitoes.htm