What can we do to eradicate the asparagus beetle? Is there something that could be applied to the little black "eggs" which are deposited on the asparagus stem?
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Asparagus Beetle
Submitted by Moggy on May 15, 2008 - 9:09pm.
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Carefully. For spears that are more robust when they emerge, little damage will be done by squishing the egg against the spear with your thumb and fore finger. For slender spears, you may be able to use the gentle squish method with no damage. If not, be creative. You could pinch them with tweezers or gently scrape them off with paring knife.
Chelsey Wasem
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Asparagus beetles are one of the early insect pests in the vegetable garden. The small, black, elongated eggs sticking out longways from the side of the asparagus spears hatch into a soft, greenish grub.
Both the adult and grub stage are damaging to asparagus. They chew the tips and spear surfaces which lead to scarring and staining of the asparagus. Early detection is the best prevention of damage. Getting on your hands and knees to inspect the emerging spears for the cylindrical eggs, then squashing the eggs, is one way to manage this pest without pesticide use.
If the hands and knees method isn’t practical for your asparagus patch, products such as spinosads, horticultural oils or soaps, rotenone, malathion, or carbaryl (Sevin) are labeled for this use to reduce feeding damage. Read and follow all label directions before use.
Don’t let the early bug get the garden. Instead, be the early gardener that gets the bug!
Chelsey Wasem
Horticulture Agent
Johnson County