Cindy was over at the Franklin Elementary School the other day to consult with a volunteer who maintains their garden as part of the School Garden Program, when she noticed some bugs on the Alyssum plants.
The bugs were Bagrada Bugs, Bagrada hilaris, a very invasive pest bug that is a major threat to crops, especially crops such as cauliflower, broccoli, collards, cabbage, kale, radish, rutabaga and wild mustard. It also feeds on melons, strawberries and members of the nightshade family, such as potatoes and peppers.
The infestation at the school was pretty bad, so Cindy and the volunteer pulled up all the Alyssum plants, but weren't able to kill all the bugs. They could easily wipe out the vegetables in the school garden. Since Cindy was just getting ready to plant some of winter crops, including cauliflower and broccoli, it's a good time to check up on what these bugs are and how to control them before we find them on our plants.
For information on how to control these stink bugs, see the University of California's Invasive Pest Management's Pest Note at: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74166.html .
Wait, these things attack POTATOES, too? Noooooooo!!!!
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