Help: my Inca corn!

[R.R.]

This morning, a couple of my corn plants had these tiny bugs. What are they and how can I kill them?

 

[Chuck]

This morning, a couple of my corn plants had these tiny bugs. What are they and how can I kill them?

View attachment 2886

Those are baby stink bugs. Like I mentioned before when you had the stink bug egg picture, spray first with Neem then with spinosad a week later. Spray your entire garden with spinosad today and every 4-7 days. If you don't these bugs will ruin every vegetable you have. Those bugs are almost the same as I have on my squash. I first noticed them the day before it rained. The bugs I have are a little bit lighter colored than those gray ones. I am not sure about the white ones but I think they are mealy bugs They aren't as bad as the stink bugs but still very damaging. Spinosad will kill them too. Don't let them get ahead of you. And that brown bug is a flea beatle

 

[Chuck]

While checking my garden today full size grown stink bugs were in my green beans. Like I have mentioned in an earlier post, this past winter I had an infestation of stink bugs in my house all winter long. Dozens of them. I think this year is going to be a terrible year for stink bugs and the only way to have a decent crop is to stay ahead of them. There are many different types of leaf footed stink bugs and all are slightly different. The ones in my beans today were slightly different than the ones that invaded my house and slightly different from the ones on my squash.

 

[R.R.]

I hope we can both get ahead of them.

 

[Chuck]

This morning, a couple of my corn plants had these tiny bugs. What are they and how can I kill them?

View attachment 2886

Thanks for the pic. I just went out and checked my corn. No stink bugs but I have those white eggs by the thousands. I am pretty sure they are either mealy bugs or some type of scale insects. I also noticed that my corn is just beginning to show the tips of the tassels which means it is time to spray the tassels with spinosad to deter and kill beetles that will eat holes in the them. So this evening I spray my corn patch with spinosad and closely watch those white eggs.

 

[R.R.]

That's what I'm gonna do, too. It's a shame we're leaving for Nashville for a few days soon and I won't be able to watch it as close as I'd like.

 

[Chuck]

That's what I'm gonna do, too. It's a shame we're leaving for Nashville for a few days soon and I won't be able to watch it as close as I'd like.

If you are going to be gone awhile right before you leave spray everything but the tomatoes with spinosad and spray the tomatoes with Bt.

 

[R.R.]

Thanks, I'll do that

 

[firelily99]

I love corn on the cob but I find the whole process of growing it problematic, mainly due to insect pests. It does take a lot of space in the bed so I finally decided that I would just buy it instead of filling up limited space.

 

[R.R.]

I stopped buying corn a few years ago, when I heard that 80 or 90% of the corn in the world is Monsanto corn, and I miss it. Mine doesn't take a lot of space. I'm growing it along one fence, and since it's only hubby and me, we'll have enough with a few plants

 

[R.R.]

I found this this morning. It's pretty gross looking. What is it?

 

[Chuck]

View attachment 3075 I found this this morning. It's pretty gross looking. What is it? View attachment 3074

I am pretty sure that what you have is called corn smut. Google it

 

[R.R.]

Yeah, I think it is.

 

[Chuck]

Yeah, I think it is.

And the good news is, is if you could grow 50 acres of it you would be rich. Otherwise there is no cure that I know of except to grow resistant varieties of sweet corn. Mayan is probably the least resistant of all

 

[R.R.]

Maybe I'll try to sell it at a Mexican restaurant LOL! "Hey, want some huitlacoche"?