- Get directions, reviews and information for The Feeding Frenzy in Tustin, CA. The Feeding Frenzy 435 W 6th St Tustin CA 92780. 8 Reviews (714) 697-8016 Website.
- Jul 20, 2009 The only time the feeding frenzy did relax a bit was when some middle eastern bloke decided to get out to the mermaids rock and attach himself to her for his photo – guess even the most crass tourist didn’t want to take back a photo of themselves with Little Mohammed and girl friend.
The Tasteful Garden promotes natural pest control methods such as keeping your garden clean and weeded, using mulches and good compost in the soil, and organically made pesticides only when absolutely necessary.
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We believe that healthy, happy, plants will have a naturally immunity to pests and diseases and in the long run can protect our environment from overuse of pesticides. Visit our Organic Gardening department in our catalog.
In many cases, when you see damage to the leaves of a vegetable plant, the plant is not in danger of dying, only being nibbled on by an occasional insect. Other times, your plants can be literally eaten away overnight by some hungry snails, cut off at the base by a cutworm, or dug out of the ground by a squirrel. This can be heartbreaking when it happens but keep in mind that we share the earth with these creatures and your garden looks like a really great place to hang out! Most of the time, simple methods which have been used for many years by gardeners are the best way to combat the situation.
Below we have listed some of the more common pests for gardeners and the easiest technique to get rid of one or two, as well as a more thorough way to eliminate a full-on assault by these creatures.If you do use any type of commercially bought pesticides, always make sure to read the directions carefully and never use more than is recommended. Even organic pesticides can be dangerous and can kill honeybees and birds if overused. Killing every insect in your garden is not a good idea because many beneficial insects which eat other pests can be killed and this can create a worse problem. There are also many living creatures in the soil which help to break it down and provide nutritious soil for your plants which can be killed such as earthworms and bacteria.
Many diseases are spread by splashing water so water sprinklers and heavy rains can create molds, fungus', and bacterial diseases which can make your plants very unhappy and sometimes can kill them. Mulching with dried leaves, pine straw, hay straw, grass clippings, newspaper, and even cardboard can make all the difference in keeping diseases under control. They can also help hold in moisture and protect from overheating the soil in the hot summer months. This keeps plants happier and healthier and can prevent stressful conditions which invite infestations of insects.
Organic Gardening
Organic gardening is done in the backyard by understanding that a healthy, happy plant, in good, nutritious, soil helps prevent most diseases and harmful insect damage. It is not necessary to kill every insect in the garden, as many pesticides do, but it is important to keep your garden mulched, watered, weeded and clean of debris to prevent problems.
Tomato Hornworm
The Tomato Hornworm is definitely the scariest pest in the garden, growing up to 5' long, they resemble something from a bad 70's movie. They are not dangerous to people but to a tomato plant they are very heavy feeders and can eat quite a lot of leaves. Female moths lay eggs under the leaves of the tomato plant and once they hatch and start feeding they grow quickly. They eventually make their way into the ground and stay until they become adult moths.
Management
Roto-tilling in spring helps prevent worms and moving your tomatoes each year can also help. The best way to get rid of them once you know you have a problem is to look for them at dusk when they are most active. They can be very hard to find because of their coloring. They leave black droppings behind and that can help with tracking them down. Usually picking them off does the trick, just keep checking for new damage through the season. /p>
Many people use an organic product called Bacillus Thuringiensis, or BT Worm Killer Spray, which is a powder that you can spray on the underside of the leaves to kill the eggs. It washes off quickly in rain and must be applied once a week.
Cabbage Worm
The Cabbage Worm and Parsley worms can cause a lot of damage to leafy green plants and their holes are often mistakenly blamed on some type of flying bug.
Cabbage Moth
The Cabbage Moth, the pretty white butterfly we see in our gardens couldn't possibly be causing any damage. Most of us think that a bug has to be ugly and black or green to be a 'bad' bug. This butterfly can lay eggs on a plant and within a few days they are hatched and eating their weight in leaves every day. The eggs of the Cabbage Moth will be found underneath the leaves.
Parsley Worm
Butterflies for the Parsley worm are really beautiful and many people grow parsley for their ability to attract them to the garden. However, if you are growing parsley to eat the parsley, make sure you watch carefully for signs of the butterfly and either cover the plants up with row cover or spray BT to prevent these caterpillars from doing serious damage.
Management
Watch carefully throughout the season for moths and as soon as you see them fluttering start looking for the eggs and worms. Picking off caterpillars usually keeps them under control, just keep checking for new damage throughout the season. Or, you can spray your plants organically, underneath the leaves, with Bacillus thuringiensis or 'BT' to kill the hatching worms. BT can be washed off by rain so it must be applied about once a week. Larger caterpillars can be squashed if you prefer which is more fun.
Slugs & Snails
Slugs and Snails are not really bugs but they can be some of the worst creatures in your garden. They are leaf and stem eaters and there are certain plants they love to eat like Basil and leafy garden vegetables. They can even climb small citrus trees and eat the leaves and suck on the fruit. They can eat their way through a young basil plant literally overnight and leave you blaming the rabbits, squirrels or your dog. They eat all night long and hide in dark, cool, damp places all day long. There are several ways of preventing their damage and I will try to tell you which ones work and why.
Management
The most commonly used prevention is the slug and snail baits that are sold in garden centers. They do work if you follow the directions on the box and replace them when it rains. They contain Metaldehyde and as the snails eat it they will slowly die. Many formulations can be dangerous to use around birds or pets and are not labeled for use around edible plants. Fortunately there has been a new bait developed called 'Sluggo' that is safe around pets and will break down into iron in the soil. It is pricey but good and very safe for use around herbs and vegetables
The best way to prevent snails and slugs is to create barriers that they cannot cross over to get to your basil. Any type of copper can be used to make a wall that electrically shocks their body (fun isn't it) or wood ashes, crushed egg shells (easy and cheap), or diatomaceous earth which cut into their soft flesh.
Another thing that needs to be done is to try to eliminate as many of the snails as you can find. You don't have to go out into the garden at night with a flashlight. You can place boards out in the area propped up slightly and they will hide there during the day. Go out in the afternoon and remove them from the shady side of the board and destroy them. Follow their slime trails to track down their hiding places. Beer traps work by drowning slugs but hardly ever catch snails as they are not really beer drinkers.
Encourage natural enemies such as birds, toads, and salamanders, also chickens and ducks are efficient snail hunters. Good luck and don't have too much fun
Mexican Bean Beetle
The Mexican Bean Beetle and the Japanese Beetle attack most varieties of Bean plants as well as roses and many other plants, eating away at the leaves until they look similar to lace.They can be very destructive to bean plants and their pods. They should be watched for during June through August when the adults are most actively feeding. They start out yellow or beige and develop their spots after reaching full adulthood. Check your plants frequently under the leaves for egg sacks and remove them immediately.
Management
If the damage is visible, lay a cloth under the plants and shake the stems until the beetles fall off the plant. Collect them on the cloth and dispose of them. The best pre-treatment for Japanese beetles is Milky Spore which is a bacterial powder that kills only Japanese beetle grubs while they are feeding underground in the Fall. There are also organic sprays that can be used in cases of severe infestation. Always use all pesticides, even organic ones, as directed on the bottle.
Whiteflies & Aphids
Whiteflies and Aphids are a nuisance more than damaging but if left alone, can create a colony very quickly which can cause a lot of damage. Whiteflies are small flying bugs which when disturbed will fly up and around the plant in a frenzy for a few seconds. Aphids are small non-flying bugs which can vary in color depending upon what they are eating. They do not have teeth and if you see holes in the leaves, don't blame these insects. Their damage is to the soft, tender, new growth and they suck the sweet juices out of the leaves.
Aphids and Whiteflies will usually attack plants that are under stress of some kind. Indoors, herbs are always under some kind of stress, usually one of three things is the case. The first is not enough light (they need about 4 hours a day), second could be that their pots are too small for them (6' should be the absolute minimum size), third is too much watering (never let your plants sit in a tray of water and don't water until the soil feels dry to the touch). If you find that one or more of these is the problem, do what you can to correct it first before you spray. If that does not get rid of them, you can spray them with a little soapy water (dish washing soap squirted into a spray bottle filled with water) or insecticidal soap such as this Earth-tone product. Leave it on for only a hour or so and then wash it off. You may need a couple of treatments but it will get rid of them eventually.
There is also an organic spray that is called Neem II t that is even better than the soap spray. It is made from Neem oil and is combined with Pyrethrum from the Chrysanthemum plant, which works on many types of insects as a deterrent and a killing spray. Spinosad (or Lawn and Garden spray) is also available as a quick knock down for aphids and is very effective.
Squash Vine Borer
The squash vine borer is a key pest of squash, gourds and pumpkins. Unfortunately, it is usually noticed only after it has done its damage. Symptoms appear in mid summer when a long runner or an entire plant wilts suddenly. Infested vines usually die beyond the point of attack.
Sawdust like frass near the base of the plant is the best evidence of squash vine borer activity. Careful examination will uncover yellow brown excrement pushed out through holes in the side of the stem at the point of wilting. If the stem is split open, one to several borers are usually present. The caterpillars reach a length of 1 inch and have a brown head and a cream colored body.
The adult squash vine borer is a stout dark gray moth with 'hairy' red hind legs, opaque front wings, and clear hind wings with dark veins. Unlike most moths, they fly about the plants during the daytime, appearing more like a paper wasp than a moth.
This insect overwinters as a full grown larva or a pupa one to two inches below the soil surface. If it has not already done so, the larva pupates in the spring. Adult moths begin to emerge about the time the plants begin to run, and moth flight continues through mid August.
The small brown eggs, laid individually on leaf stalks and vines, hatch in seven to 10 days. The newly hatched larva immediately bores into the stem. A larva feeds for 14 to 30 days before exiting the stem to pupate in the soil. There are sometimes 1 to 2 generations per year.
Management
Home gardeners may have some success with deworming the vines. At the first signs of the sawdust like frass, vines are slit lengthwise near where the damage is found and the borers removed. The stems should be immediately covered with earth. Sanitation is also important. After harvest is complete, vines should be removed from the garden and composted to prevent the remaining borers from completing larval development. Burying a few nodes along each vine will encourage rooting at these nodes. This will lessen the impact if squash vine borers girdle the base of the vine. Visit our Organic Gardening department in our catalog for more great products.
Honey Bees & Bumble Bees
Honey Bees and Bumble Bees are the primary pollinators of vegetables, fruit trees and flowers. They are very important creatures in the garden. The native bumblebee is a large, black, fuzzy bee with a yellow or reddish stripe on its middle. It is the bee that pollinates your tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Along with Honeybees and Orchard Mason bees, they feed on pollen and nectar from the flowers of garden plants and flowering trees. As they go from flower to flower they distribute the pollen and this creates the process which results in fruiting. Without their help the plants are on their own and cannot propagate by themselves.
Pesticides can be very toxic to bees, especially Carbaryl or Sevin dust which is a particularly strong insecticide that may cause cancer. Many bee viruses and certain species of mites, in addition to spraying of pesticides, have killed off large numbers of naturalized honeybees. It is important to create areas in our gardens which allow them to multiply. Plant nectar flowers and flowering lavenders near your vegetable gardens and provide a source of water for them and they will thrive. Never spray any pesticides which are harmful to bees and use organic sprays which evaporate quickly. Watch out for nests and hives so you don't get stung because once they have used their stingers, they will die.
Ladybugs (Lady Beetles)
Ladybugs (Lady beetles) are a great pleasure to see in your garden because they are so indispensable for fighting aphid problems. It is technically a beetle and grows to about 1/4 inch long. Ladybugs cause no plant damage at all and are sold in garden centers everywhere. They will eat large amounts of aphids and then fly onto another plant to eat more.
Be aware that if you buy a box of ladybugs they may move on to your neighbors house when they can't find enough to eat at your house. It is a good idea to spray your plants with a diluted sugar-water solution before you release them to give them a drink and make them want to stay home. Many household pesticides (even insecticidal soaps) can kill ladybugs and their larvae so always spray carefully, even if you use organic methods.
Damaging Insects
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Beneficial Insects
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Helpful Videos
Buff-spotted Flufftail (Sarothrura elegans) juvenile and female. The Artist’s Press, Brondal, South Africa. January 2013.
Feeding Frenzy Nelspruit Directions Printable
It was always going to be a long shot. Tamar Mason had let me know – once again, and for the third year in a row – that her resident Buff-spotted Flufftails had produced young in the damp shrubberies alongside irrigation canals around their house at The Artist’s Press*. I’d been out to this lovely little farm on previous occasions to seek out this rare and exhaustingly secretive bird – but no luck with a species that has eluded me for over 30 years.
As it so often seems to happen with elusive birds, the flufftails invariably appear when one is: a) not expecting them or b) engaged in some other activity. Should anyone actually have the OBJECTIVE of seeing such a bird, the odds of encountering it drop alarmingly. Tamar and her family see the birds fairly often, skipping across pathways, flicking through the leaf litter and – once – flying into their car through its open door when it was parked in the driveway!
I have never regarded myself as a twitcher, although I have certainly been off on many a quest to find strange or wonderful birds in far-flung places. I don’t NEED to see a flufftail to tick it off on any list. On the other hand, I am susceptible to a challenge and no bird has challenged me quite as much as the Buff-spotted Flufftail. Not much larger than a sparrow, this little rallid is best known for its mournful hooting call given at night and less often on damp overcast days. Like the foghorn of a lost ship in the mist, so the flufftail’s call is similarly hard to pinpoint. “Whuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu” . . . the bird can be hooting from a shrub 2 metres off the ground within arms distance, and sound as though it is on the ground 5 metres away.
Apart from a few random encounters with this master ventriloquist at places such as Dwesa, Woodbush, Vumba and Plettenburg Bay it is right here at home where the haunting began . . and continues. Nelspruit lies in the sub-tropical foothills of the Drakensberg escarpment and sometimes experiences prolonged periods of overcast and drizzly weather during the summer. At such times, Buff-spotted Flufftails can be heard in the wooded valleys such as the one in which our suburban property ‘Turaco Wood’ is nestled. I really have lost count of the number of times that I’ve been out at night with a torch and sound recorder in pursuit of this feathery little frustration. On one particularly memorable occasion, not too many moons ago, I recall lying on my back beneath a sprawling Dalbergia thicket – midnight mosquitoes were siphoning blood from my ears, steady drizzle was falling and a flufftail was booming out its low-pitched call right above me. Attempts to lure it closer with call playback had failed hopelessly, and I had now adopted a technique of stealth and silence where I would wait motionless for the next eerie hoot, try to pinpoint its direction, and then turn on the beam of my torch. In between, I would just lie there in the dark, hoping to see some movement in the tracery of thorny branches while mosquitoes became bloated. This bizarre behaviour carried on for three nights before I admitted defeat.
Fast-forward to January 2013, and there I was chatting away and sipping tea with Tamar, Mark, Simon and Maru on their verandah when a slight movement caught our attention just a couple of yards away. This was followed by a series of peeps and other soft contact calls. The flufftails had arrived! I raised my binoculars just in time to see a juvenile – just a bundle of charcoal feathers really – step across a gap between the ferns and stems. The adults were close . . they were on the other side of a path, just behind the youngster, we could hear them. My pulse quickened. Rather than get up I thought it best to just remain seated and wait. A minute passed, then another minute, followed by a further, different minute**. The youngster had disappeared and all was now still and quiet. Why was that? Oh, look, there’s a grey-and-white cat on the pathway! The flufftails had either gapped it quietly, or were hunkered down waiting for the predator (albeit an ineffective one with a bell around its neck) to depart. So, that was it, was it? Show over. I had actually seen a flufftail, but knowing that the adults were right there and had eluded me yet again, made it somehow unsatisfactory.
For the next hour or so, I wandered around the wonderful garden, pausing to sit on benches now and again, in the hope that the flufftails would show themselves. The habitat was truly perfect for them, lots of feeding opportunities beneath leafy shrubs, all the better to hide under. Then, just as I had come to the conclusion that my flufftail experience was over, I rounded a corner and a tiny quail-like bird flushed from a clump of ginger, flipped over a stand of lemon-grass, then crash-landed into the base of a banana plant. It was brown and blotchy – a female. I didn’t even have time to raise my binoculars this time, she was gone in a flash.
Driving home, I felt rather ashamed at being so unsatisfied with the events. I HAD seen a flufftail, TWO actually, after YEARS of being baited by their haunting call, but it didn’t seem enough. I guess I want more than a couple of split-second glances – I’d like to marvel at the sight of an adult male – just a brief look into its dark chestnut eyes in that glowing, orange face.
The Artist’s Press, Brondal Valley, White River, South Africa. January 2013.
If these after-the-fact sketches seem rather hurried and blurry, then I would have done a pretty good job of capturing the moments.
FOOTNOTES
* The Artist’s Press specialise in handprinted lithographs and represent many of the finest South African artists. Take a look at what they do and view their selection of available prints at www.artprintsa.com . Tamar & Mark are local pioneers when it comes to green, organic living . . be inspired by what they do: www.artprintsa.com/green-living
Feeding Frenzy Nelspruit Directions Free
** in homage to Monty Python