Tuesday, May 10, 2016

A Prickly Situation..



We have a prickly situation here....
 a Prickly Pear, situation.



This is the Prickly Pear 
(Opuntia engelmanii)
 I transplanted from the Deer Grove.

It has grown a lot, since then. In fact, this is just HALF
of it, when we moved it from the side yard,
to the Drive Bed.

This is how it looked last year,


This is how it looks now.


It's really spread out.


It's full of buds.


But, this is how they end up.


They try to open, but they get the life sucked out of them.


By these...
Hesperolabops gelastops.
In other words, Cactus bugs.

They suck the juices out of the pads.
See the damage to this new pad?


They've been making a mess, out of the whole thing.

The treatment is blasts of water, or soapy water...
or Neem...

There are hundreds of these vile little creatures.
And, they're fast...running to the other side of the pads,
when you walk up.

So far, I've been trying soapy water...
going around and around the cactus, trying to hit them.

More entertainment for the neighbors.
Maybe they think it's some kind of 'Cactus Ritual'...

So far, the bugs are still there.

I'll keep trying the soap.
Then, I may have to go to the big guns.

I'll let you know, how it goes.




The marks on this cactus are from the hail we had a week or so ago.
Can't do anything about that.
But, at least no bugs....
yet.

With gardening...
it's always something.

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~

8 comments:

  1. Between hail, scale and those darn cactus bugs the prickly pear can start to look pretty ravaged. I was walking past one day and saw a hatch and boy did I go after them smashing them against the pads. Hand round one side so they move around to the other and then my hand. Fortunately mine are spineless so I can do that without getting hurt. I hope yours recover.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're braver than I am. I'll try to get them from afar.

      Delete
  2. "Cactus ritual" made me laugh though the situation isn't so funny. You're having quite the challenge to gardening there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's the most challenging place I've been.
      Some days, I just want to throw in the towel.

      Delete
    2. It's the most challenging place I've been.
      Some days, I just want to throw in the towel.

      Delete
  3. Good luck with the bugs. It's such a pretty shaped prickly pear, would be sad to lose it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a nice shape. It's looking sad, though.
      This is the second kind of bugs to attack it. And, I noticed there are some on the other prickly pears now.
      I've sprayed enough soapy water to make the front pretty sudsy, if it rains enough...lol

      Delete
    2. It is a nice shape. It's looking sad, though.
      This is the second kind of bugs to attack it. And, I noticed there are some on the other prickly pears now.
      I've sprayed enough soapy water to make the front pretty sudsy, if it rains enough...lol

      Delete

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This is a word verification free blog. It seems to be working out, so far.

~~Linda...