[flyguy]

I'm really looking forward to the asparagus season, I have a couple of beds that are really productive that I inherited. I've patiently tackled the bind weed that came with and I'm optimistic I'm now on top of this.

The asparagus beetle are another perennial problem I'm not so optimistic about. I routinely hunt them down by hand, bugs, larvae and eggs. I'm trying to limit chemical control but when the manual control fails I have sprayed which can be quite effective. At the end of the season I cut and burn the old growth.

This season I'm trying horticultural fleece early in the season, thinking this might keep visitors off. Reading the previous posts on the topic I can see many comments suggesting the grubs over winter in the soil so I could just be keeping them nice and snug. I'll see for myself soon.....

There's also mention of other control methods, planting marigold, parsley, even tomatoes. I tried tomatoes which had no impact. Natural predator control, I haven't tried importing a load of ladybirds but have my doubts they will cope with the volume if they decide to stick around and not fly off themselves. I thought there might be a nematode variety that might target them but haven't found one to date.

Has anyone tried anything apart from pesticide control that works well. Feeling bad generally for the worlds insect population so would like to avoid contributing further to their demise......

Thanks in advance

[New shoot]

I have a small raised bed of asparagus at home and it is one of the very few things I do spray.  Early in the season, when you are cutting spears, I don't see asparagus beetles often and if I do, they get squished.

Once I stop cutting and let the ferns grow, I keep an eye out and spray once with Provado if I see them.  It is systemic, so one application usually does me for the rest of the year and I spray early morning or late evening when bees are not around.   I prefer one go of a serious pesticide to multiple sprayings.

I haven't found another solution, but I have a home garden full of flowers for as much of the year as I can, a wildlife pond and log piles hidden behind shrubs.  The place is buzzing, crawling and creeping with insects.  On the plot I leave nettles to grow on the boundary bank next to me and plant flowers as well. 

Pesticides are not great for wildlife and I avoid using them as much as possible, but I'm not sacrificing whole crops for an ideal.  You can do a huge amount to promote insect life and tbh I reckon that can make a bigger difference 

[Hampshire Hog]

I have a productive asparagus bed but I just keep an eye open for the beetles black eggs and try to squash them before they reach maturity. Only time I have a real issue is if I go on holiday when they are about and come back to a serious infestation. I also burn the old ferns when cut down at end of season. I hadn’t really thought of spraying with chemicals.
Good luck
HH

[flyguy]

Thanks for the responses. Just wondering about the idea of horticultural fleece as a physical barrier, is this going to fail as the blighters are emerging from the earth around the asparagus plants?

New shoot, the systemic insecticide you use, would the bees be vulnerable to this, even if avoiding times when they are not around. I thought the idea of systemic was around being absorbed by the plant and transferred to insects that come in contact with the plant. Or is pollination route not a point of transfer?

Thanks in advance

[New shoot]

I tend to trim flowers tips off asparagus fronds to avoid them seeding into the gravel around the raised bed, but depending on what you use, the systemic effect may be gone by then anyway.  Removing flowers is an easy belt and braces fix if you are concerned.

Usually anything promising lasting results includes an immediate knock down element as well, which is why I am careful when and how I spray.  Like all pesticide and herbicide use, it is about reading the label, using the minimum of product but targeting it for the best result 

I think you would need to build a decent frame and cover it with insect mesh if you want a physical barrier.  Fleece would be difficult to secure to make it insect proof.  You would also need to keep a close eye on the plants, because if anything got through your defences, they would be very snug in there.

[Lardman]

I hate to bring bad news - I have terrible problems with them here (there's a commercial sparrow grass farm just down the road) after many years of trying to control the beetles I've just about given up, as have the crowns. I didn't find anything that was effective.

[flyguy]

I hate to bring bad news - I have terrible problems with them here (there's a commercial sparrow grass farm just down the road) after many years of trying to control the beetles I've just about given up, as have the crowns. I didn't find anything that was effective.

Oh, that's a worrying comment Lardman, could I just ask what you have tried, all of the above mentioned methods? Do the commercial growers not suffer form them as well, do they just put up with them?

Thanks in advance

[flyguy]

Just to update you on this. I tried covering with horticultural fleece which worked well for a while. I found no beetle underneath. I managed to secure it by laying some decking around the margins of it, and some support from plastic tubing to keep it supported over the plants. A spell of really windy weather made a few rips here and there which eventually cause quite large gaps which rendered if redundant and the beetles moved in.
I ended up spraying once with a systemic insecticide after speaking with a professional bee keeper who assured my spraying late in the day would not affect the local pollinators. That took care of the beetles and larvae that had quickly infested many of the ferns. Fingers crossed less of a problem next year. I may try buying caterpillar larvae which I heard will do a good job on the beetle grubs....

[Potty Plotty Lotty]

I've found they haven't been bad this year at all compared to last year.

I've not got the nerve to burn the fronds at the end of the season so I go with squishing the beetles as they appear (and larvae) and a chemical spray if getting bad. 

[flyguy]

I've found they haven't been bad this year at all compared to last year.

I've not got the nerve to burn the fronds at the end of the season so I go with squishing the beetles as they appear (and larvae) and a chemical spray if getting bad.

I start off with that route every year but quickly find things get beyond a find a squish approach unfortunately.