Field of Science

Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!

Maybe you haven't seen the movie, but TPP was amused to see a new green gardening product being advertised under the trade marked product name Beetlejus.  This must be pretty new because TPP hadn't notice it before, but supposedly this is a Bt insecticide for beetles!  Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis and when consumed the beetles soon stop eating (don't you like the sound of that) and then die.  Since humans are not susceptible to this particular bacterium, it is pretty harmless and can be used up to the day of harvest.  It works on Japanese beetles, adults and larvae, and hopefully on cucumber and bean beetles too.  And if it works on flea beetles, what joy!  This is not an endorsement because TPP doesn't do those, but an informative message, so no links to retail outlets.  It's an integrity thing. And so far this is untried by yours truly, but other Bt products have performed well. Not sure if this will work on butterfly larvae or not, the product label does not so indicate although the ads say "caterpillars", which beetles don't have. So doubtful it will work like on them.  Different strains of Bt for different insects. But you have to say the name three times.

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