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My first year for a "real" garden, several rows of 2 or 3 varieties of corn! The first batch, Silver Queen, looked tall and gorgeous and the tassles were waving in the breeze -- well, it is still tall and gorgeous, except for the tassles. The tiny (1/4") little black beetles that show up with the July rains by the THOUSANDS, usually coming in through the window screens and getting in my hair while I try to sleep, are back in full force and EATING the tassles off my corn! I figured out how to keep them out of the house, by spraying the window screens with Raid, but obviously do not want to spray my corn with Raid or any poison. I've been going out 2 or 3 times a day and shaking the little devils into a pail of water, then feeding them to the chickens, but every time I go out there the ears are full of the beetles again. Yesterday I discovered they were also eatinng the Swiss chard that is planted next to the corn. I've tried several "natural" remedies but so far nothing has worked, there are still thousands and thousands of them. Oh, this morning I also found the beetles on the blossoms of my potted dwarf grapefruit, now that is a REAL crime.
Today, while picking tomato hornwoms & Colorado potato beetles off my tomatoes, I realized the tomatoes are probably the only thing I have growing that the little black beasties are not eating. So I opened a can of diced tomatoes and with a paint brush, swabbed the tops of every corn ear with tomato juice, hoping the change in smell will discourage the bad black bugs. Right now I am afraid to go look and see if the ears are again full of beetles. The corn is supposed to be ripe in another week, if any are not ruined.
I am in northern Arizona -- has anybody else had this problem? If so, what did you do about it?
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