The bugs will be more vulnerable to the pyrethrinīecause of the Safer Soap. Then 3 days later, spray with pyrethrins. Spray plants thoroughly with Safer Soap to soften the insect’s shell. That cost may be beyond the means of most gardeners to protect a handful of plants…it would be more cost-effective to buy greens at the tailgate markets!Ī gardener at Monticello (Thomas Jefferson’s home) suggested this routine for harlequin bugs. Although it takes a miniscule amount to do the trick, the expected shelf-life on the pricey insecticide is 15 months. Surprise! The pint size container was listed at $149. Intrigued that Molt-X may be the solution, I did a price check on the internet. I first heard about Molt-X last spring ~ when Meredith McKissick of Crooked Creek Farm used Molt-X for cabbage maggots and she got a bonus outcome ~ her arugula was undamaged by flea beetles. I googled Molt-X, and it does list “true bugs” on the label and it is OMRI approved for Certified Organic growers with restrictions. Alex Brown of Full Sun Farm said that Pyganic (a pyrethrin spray) doesn’t work on harlequin bugs. Anne Grier of Gaining Ground Farm recently sprayed Neem Oil for harlequin bugs she reported that it wasn’t very effective she had a less than 25% knockdown result. I asked a few farmers at the tailgate market what they do. Other than hand removal to a container of soapy water, one could try something like pyrethrum, but you’d have to directly contact the insects with the spray.” Linda Blue, Buncombe County Extension Agent and longtime OGS volunteer-extraordinaire, has this to say about harlequin bugs, “Unfortunately, as far as I know there are no good organic controls for harlequin bugs – difficult even with synthetic chemicals. During milder winters they have been spotted ~ in all stages of their life cycle ~ as far north as Virginia. Plants in the brassica family (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, collards, kale, mustard, wild mustard, turnips, etc.) are among their favorite foods, but harlequin bugs will also attack other plants when their favored foods become scarce.
The nymphs molt several times before they become a winged adult (adults are about 3/8” long). The adults and nymphs look alike at a glance ~ they both sport the distinctive harlequin bug colors, but the nymphs are smaller and wingless. Their black & white eggs are barrel shaped and have a circular lid. Sucking sap from the leaves, stalks, flowers, and fruit with its needle-like piercing mouth parts. Harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica, is a shield-shaped true bug and is most prevalent in the southeast. The plants seemed to die in just a few days, but in truth the harlequin bugs were probably sucking the lifeblood from the plants long before I noticed they had invaded. I had never encountered them until about ten years ago when my kohlrabi took a major downward dive. Your neighbor’s right! These distinctive black, orange, and white bugs could almost be called pretty ~ if they weren’t so tenacious. They are orange, white, and black and look kind of like a stinkbug. I’ve never seen them before, but my neighbor says they are harlequin bugs.
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