Diatomaceous
Earth and Honeybees
I have another
question about diatomaceous earth and honeybees. I had been
using it effectively in my garden, especially on flea beetles on
eggplant, which as you know are tricky to grow. Last year my
daughter & husband started beekeeping, and we now have 3 hives
in our yard (about 2 acres). I have been afraid to use it for
fear of hurting the bees. We also have severe
problems with Japanese beetles (our American Linden tree seems to
attract half the beetles in the county and, no, we don't use the JB
pheromone traps). The beetles devastate my flower gardens,
especially things like hollyhocks. Are there any
earth-friendly solutions that will kill the beetles without hurting our
bees or do I just live with ravaged gardens in order to have good
honey? I've tried spot applications of insecticidial soap,
but that doesn't make a dent in the overall problem. We live
in northern Indiana, northernmost part of zone 5. Nancy
Doug
says
DE
will indeed take out bees. They groom themselves after contact and will
be bothered just like any other large insect. Sorry to say.
See
the page on Japanese beetles for control methods. This is an
ongoing development page and will be updated (notices in the newsletter)
The
deal with
Japanese
Beetles
is that they require a dedicated solution and a multiple solution
approach. There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to this
insect. So read up on them and start implementing as many of
the
remedies as you can. And convince your neighbors to do the
same.
Click
here if you have a question about diatomaceous earth and honeybees
