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I've seen advice in books and online that I can deal with my striped cucumber beetle infestation by vacuuming. Unfortunately they don't get into details. I'm ready to drag the shop vac into the garden, but I'm wondering if there are any gotchas... and I'm a little worried about too much power ripping the leaves right off the plants instead of just the bugs.

Has anybody here done this successfully? Anything I should watch out for? Any tips to ensure success?

(If this works, it would be great -- I try to avoid spraying as much as possible, and I don't want to kill bees/beneficial pollinators with pyrethrin.)

bstpierre
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1 Answers1

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Just stumbled across the following article:

Below I have extracted what I believe to be the most relevant points related to the question asked.

Abstract

Field vacuuming is a novel concept for pest management in organic cropping systems. Though heavily promoted, it has not been widely adopted.

Field Vacuums for Insect Pest Management

Among the tools that have drawn interest are field vacuums, which suck pests from the growing crop and "batter" them to death.

Growers and researchers have experimented with suction devices on a number of horticultural crops, including lettuce, strawberries, artichokes, grapes, potatoes, celery, and cole crops. The most successful application of insect vacuums appears to be control of lygus bugs in strawberries.

Sometimes, the vacuums simply weren’t adequate for the job. When they tried them for aphid control on lettuce, California growers found that the pest hid mostly in the lower parts of the plant and escaped - a particularly serious problem because the aphids vector several serious diseases

Sources for Insect Vacuums

The California supplier BioQuip Products has several small vacuums that are mostly intended for insect monitoring and collecting, rather than control. One of the vacuums is a backpack unit, however, which might be useful for pest control in biointensive systems.

For very small-scale applications, the "Bug Vacuum" - a battery-operated, hand-held unit may work. However, it appears designed primarily for removing individual insects like errant wasps, bees, and flies from the home.

Summary

Field vacuums are an interesting non-chemical approach to insect pest management. While promising, the concept has not received wide use because of a number of problems, including cost and efficacy.

If I've "quoted" too much, please feel free to edit appropriately.

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Mike Perry
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