The Asparagus Beetle is a pest I'd never heard of until I started taking the camera out into the garden last week and hunting for bugs.  They're so small and inconspicuous that I think it's quite possible they were here last year and I just didn't notice.

Asparagus Beetle larvae nibble on asparagus leaves.  Light infestations are considered normal, but heavy infestations can injure or kill the plants.  I'm still in the learning stages with this pest, so I'm going to see if any of their natural predators show up.  Meanwhile, I'm handpicking some of them to feed the chickens.

Species: Asparagus Beetle (Crioceris asparagi) Plants Affected: Asparagus Related Species: Spotted Asparagus Beetle is similar, but the larvae only feed on asparagus berries, so they are less harmful. Natural Enemies: A parasitic wasp (Tetrastichus asparagi), a nematode (Steinernema feltiae), lady beetle larvae Organic Control: hand picking (but this is hard since the larvae are small)

Read other posts about Organic Insect Control: Aphids Asparagus Beetle Cabbage Worms Flea Beetles Grubs Japanese Beetles

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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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