Organic Gardening Insect Glossary Q-T
Organic gardening Insectipedia insect glossary Q-T is a free resource of garden insects, insect terms, and helpful information.
Rock Phosphate is the commercial term for a rock containing
one or more phosphate minerals of sufficient grade and suitable
composition for use as an organic
fertilizer. Rock Phosphate can last up to 3 years in the
soil. It is often recommended as a control for certain insects and
underground diseases.
Fleshy taproot
Beets
Black
Salsify
Burdock
Carrots
Celery
Cylindra
Beets
Horseradish
Mangels
Parsnips
Radishes
Rutabagas
Salsify
Turnips
Lateral root
Irish
Potatoes
Jerusalem
Artichoke
Sweet
Potatoes
If the plant is not chewed, but is showing signs of stress,
such as wilting, discoloration or stunted
growth, pull up the plant and examine the roots. You may find that it
is an insect causing the root damage.
One or more symptoms to look for:
- Root discoloration
- Tunneling - examine the inside of the roots
- Punctures marks pit marks or bore holes
- Swollen roots
- Sections of roots sliced off
- Root deformity
- Scared underground parts
Normally about 90% of the time insects will only attack
unhealthy plants. Just as humans who are healthy, so are healthy plants
that are on a good diet less susceptible to disease and insect attack.
The fist step in insects control is to have a healthy
soil. The first step in soil management is crop rotation.
Rotating the types of crops from season to season, helps reduce insect
and disease build-up.
Just rotating diverse crops types is not enough. Your rotation
should make sense, i.e. follow heavy feeders
with heavy
givers and then light feeders
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Rotenone is a plant-derived insecticide made from the roots of
several tropical plants - Derris, Cube Barbasco, and Timo.
Rotenone is harmless to warm-blooded animals, but will kill beneficial insects,
and fish.
Rotenone has a very short residual action, losing its
protection after three to seven days. It is most effective as a spray,
and any wettable powders should be filtered through cheesecloth
first.
A United States native weed called Devil s Shoestring
(Tephrasis virginiana), contains 5% rotenone. This plant was used by
the American Indians to poison fish.
Rotenone can be obtained commercially, but make sure it does
not contain synthetic toxins manufactures mix in to increase it s
effectiveness. Pure rotenone can be safely used on all crops and
ornamentals, but only as a last resort.
Ryania is an alkaloid
insecticide obtained from the roots and stems of a South American shrub
(Ryania speciosa). It has both contact and stomach-poisoning action to
insects, including beneficial
insects. This natural insecticide is considered quite safe to
warm blooded animals. It is not persistent, that is it can be used near
harvest time, but only as a last resort.
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Sabadilla is an alkaloid
insecticide obtained from a South Central American lily that is ground
into a dust. It has been used since the 16th century.
Sabadilla is less toxic than rotenone
and is generally used for the same purpose. It is not persistent, that
is it can be used near harvest time, but only as a last resort.
CAUTION: Sabadilla dust can irritate mucous membrane and bring on
sneezing fits, And Honey Bees
are vulnerable to the dust. Use with caution.
Collard
Greens
Head
Lettuce
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leaf
Lettuce
Mustard
Greens
New
Zealand Spinach
Parsley
Spinach
Swiss
Chard
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Sawflies are solitary insects. They deposit eggs in stems,
buds, or leaves, which the female cuts with saw-like tip on her abdomen.
Eggs hatch into larvae, that look similar to Caterpillars.
Sawflies in Knowledge Base:
European Apple Sawfly
Pear Sawfly
The scale insect is better known by the females than the
males. Males have one pair if wings and the mouthparts are missing. The
females are wingless and they create a waxy or powdery covering over
their soft bodies. they feed upon the juices of plants.
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The most basal segment of the antenna. The scape houses the
antenna movement muscles.
Predaceous.
They seize prey with pincers and may sting it. The sting may be
painful, and in a few species, the sting may be fatal.
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Smut is a Fungi
Corn Smut (Ustilago maydis)
Onion Smut (Urocystis cepulae)
Parts of the plant develop galls. Galls
range from
1/4 to 8 inches. When the gall bursts, it releases masses of black
spores
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Various non-detergent soaps (detergents are not soaps) have
long been use as a safe homemade insecticide. Soap kills with its fatty
acids by attacking the insect's outer soft membrane and there is no
pesticide residue to contaminate the environment.
The insects that are most vulnerable to soap are Aphids,
Mealybugs, Mites, and Whiteflies. Beetles are the least susceptible.
Potassium based soaps are more effective than other household soaps.
The water or spray is harmless to warm blooded animals and beneficial insects.
Safer's insecticidal soap is easier on plants than most household soaps.
Caution: Soap may seriously
damage foliage. It is best to test your solution on a few leaves first.
Spray the leaves a few hours after spraying.
In general, use three tablespoons of soap per gallon of water.
Social insects live in organized communities or colonies, with
division of labor and castes. The social insects are Termites,
Ants, Paper Wasps, Bumble Bees,
and Honey Bees.
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Common name: Soft-Rot Scientific
name: Erwinia carotovora
Region: Throughout the United
States, Southern Canada, and parts of Europe.
Life
cycle: Soft-Rot enters the plant when a carrier insect bites
into plant or through wounds. Soft-Rot begins decomposes the layer
between cells, digesting it and moving onto new tissue.
Soft-Rot can subsist in the soil by living on dead organic
matter.
Physical description: Causes
growing and stored crops to form soft watery rot and smell offensively.
Host crops: Many vegetable and
ornamentals.
Controls: Resistant varieties are
not known. Before storing, check all vegetable for decay and let soil
on roots dry. DO NOT
WASH BEFORE STORING. Store at lowest possible temperature recommended
for the particular vegetable.
The best control is to keep the soil healthy and allow for
good drainage. Beneficial soil organisms found in compost
and humus will control Soft-Rot.
Many solitary Wasps prepare special nests which they provision
with food, and in which they lay eggs. The emerging offspring have an
adequate supply of food from parents they will never see.
Some solitary wasps lay eggs in nest cells with an inadequate
supply of food, or even with none. These wasps return from time to time
to feed the young with more prey directly.
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Predaceous,
either pursuing or stalking prey or trapping it in webs. Large spiders
will sometimes bite, and a few are poisonous (e.g. Black Widow Spider)
The majority of spiders are beneficial, feeding on small insects.
Stickem is a safe natural sticky commercial compound that can
be used as a trap or barrier. Available in most garden centers.
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Insects may not be the reason crops are stunted or appear
dwarfed. Lack of water, poor soil, or disease may also contribute to
this condition. If one puts their energy into building a healthy
soil, all except lack of water may be eliminated.
Sulfur is the quality element in crops and too often is not
considered a major plant nutrient. Sulfur is of major importance in the
defense mechanism of the plant. Low sulfur will invite the invasion of
insects and disease. In all crops, sulfur is necessary for the
formation of chlorophyll and the rate of photosynthesis.
Maintaining optimum sulfur levels should be a priority, along
with establishing a balance between other soil minerals, in order to
get maximum yields and quality crops.
Sulfur is becoming deficient in many soils especially those in
high rainfall areas where acid leaching soil conditions are the general
rule. A biological source of sulfur, preferably from animal manures, is
the most reliable source of this mineral. Nevertheless, supplemental
sulfur may be needed.a
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Supplying artificial food is a way to help keep Lady Beetles
and Green Lacewings and other beneficials around when natural food is
scarce. A mixture of one part granulated sugar (not too much) and four
parts water is squirted on low-level plant leaves. Placing watering
sites (shallow pans or shallow bird baths) throughout your organic
garden also helps beneficials.
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A cluster of associated body segments.
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Tanglefoot is a safe natural sticky commercial compound that
can be used as a trap or barrier. Available in most garden centers.
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Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is dangerous if taken as an
infusion, but intercropping
it with fruit trees and vegetable crops will repel Borers,
Japanese Beetles, Striped Cucumber Beetles and Squash Bugs, Flies, and
Ants. Tansy is very high in potassium, which makes it a good compost
plant.
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Tarsus
The tarsus is subdivided into sections (tarsomeres) to form a
flexible foot. It is used for locomotion, grasping, and digging.
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The moths in this family (Lasiocampidae) are medium in size
(.8 to 1.5 inches) with a light colored band across the forewings.
The mouthparts are nonfunctional and subsequently live only a few days.
Eggs are banded around small stems and covered with a foamy brown
substance which hardens. They hibernate
in the egg stage, which is around nine months. The larvae are
yellowish to black, with blue or orange spots or lines. They are
covered with long fine hairs.
They live in colonies and create tents in forks or crotches of
trees for shelter. The silken threads are created as they move away
from the nest to feed. This pest often defoilates
fruit, shade and forest trees.
The Tent Caterpillars in this knowledge base are: Eastern Tent Caterpillar
Forest Tent
Caterpillar
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A bud located at the tip of a stem is termed a terminal bud or
leaf. Terminal leaves or buds are growth points. Terminal buds are
normally on the stem but can be on roots or leaves in some plants.
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The thorax is the central tagma of an
insect's body to which the wings and legs
are attached. The thorax is divided into three segments: prothorax,
mesothorax,
and metathorax.
This is a very muscular region, since the motion of the insect is
brought about through the action of the legs and wings. The thorax is
specialized for locomotion.
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The tibia is long and somewhat cylindrical in shape, often
loaded with spines or long hair for grasping and sound production. In
honey bees the tibia is part of the pollen collecting apparatus.
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Since the late Seventeenth century tobacco and its alkaloid,
nicotine, have been used as a insecticide. Tobacco is deadly to insects
and toxic to animals. It dissipates rapidly from plants that have been
sprayed or dusted. It is useful against soft-bodied insects such as
Aphids, Greenhouse Whiteflies, Leafhoppers,
Psylla, Thrips, and Mites.
It can be used either as a dust or spray. Mix the dust with soapy water
and then spray the foliage. Rinse the plants with water after each
application so the foliage does not burn.
Note: Roses (flowers) will turn black if sprayed with tobacco.
Use only as a last resort. Tobacco has a devastating effect on
beneficial insects.
And will make humans sick if you ingest it.
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Encourage toads to stay in your gardens. By placing saucers of
water in your garden and providing safe shelter (half buried clay pots)
you will make it easier for garden toads to do most of your work for
you. Toads can consume up to 10,000 insects in three months including
small Slugs and Snails, Cutworms,
Crickets, Ants, Caterpillars
and Squash Bugs.
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A system of tubes which distributes oxygen throughout the body.
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The Trochanter may be very small in many insects, triangular
in shape and acts as the articulating segment between the coxa and the femur
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