Pest eggs?

[cjhudson101]

Came out today to give my hop plants a little water and I noticed this on one of the leaves...

I didn't have time this morning, but I plan on rinsing the leaves with the hose this evening.

What do you think this is?

Thanks!

--Chris

 

[estricklin]

It looks like powdery mildew. I use a product called "Captan" at a dilution rate of about a pinch/gallon and spray it on with a pump up sprayer.

 

[day_trippr]

That's clearly an egg mass...

Cheers!

 

[pumpkinman2012]

I agree, that isn't powdery mildew, there would be more spots on the leaves, and the leaves would have started to turn brown at the edges.
I'd be careful using Captan, it is highly carcinogenic.
I'd recommend green cure or several other organic powdery mildew solutions for anything that I will be consuming.

 

[Hamaki]

I'm not a big fan of chemical pesticides but what is the basis for the statement that Captan is highly carcinogenic? It doesn't mesh well with the results of a quick google search.

Edit_Those look like eggs rather than mildew to me, too.

 

[pumpkinman2012]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2732908

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/captantech.pdf

Just two that I found after a quick Google search.

 

[FiddlersGreen87]

Neem Oil should solve your problem. It's an organic gardening pesticide solution.

2 words of serious caution.

1) Mix it in the concentration described
2) Spray the underside of the leaves

And the MOST IMPORTANT WARNING USING NEEM OIL

Spray it as early in the evening as the sun has begun to set. Neem oil is exactly that. An oil. It smothers the insects and prevents them from being able to attach to the plant. While extremely effective, it will also work as a fantastic magnifying glass on your plant leaves. If you spray it in the morning, heat of the day, or any time where it hasn't had time to dry it will fry your plants. I made this mistake because I used TOO MUCH still after the sun went down. My tomatoes looked like someone had taken a laser and burned hundreds of little brown spots all over everything.

A light spray evenly over your plants should be all you need. Your leaves will have a nice shiny texture. Too much though and you've been warned.

Neem Oil
About neem oil
Neem Extracts

This botanical insecticide is extracted from the seed of the tropical neem tree. The active ingredient, Azadirachtin, repels, prevents molting and suppresses feeding. Does not harm humans, birds, plants, or earthworms. Neem has been used for centuries against aphids, whiteflies, thrips, hornworms, leafminers, gypsy moths, weevils, webworms, loopers, sawflies and more. Neem is most effective against insects which pass through all stages of metamorphosis. Use as a last resort, Neem extract can harm beneficial insects.
Neem Oil: Broad Spectrum Insecticide/Miticide

A unique broad spectrum pesticide which acts as an insecticide, fungicide, and miticide. As fungicides, they are most effective when used as a preventative or when disease pressure is light. Works by coating plant surfaces, therefore preventing fungal spore germination and killing external fungi on leaf surfaces. Thorough coverage is important. As an insecticide/miticide, use when insect/mite pressure is light to moderate. Suffocates insects and mites on contact and is especially effective on whiteflies, aphids and other soft bodied insects. Also acts as a repellent. Since this product is an oil, it can also kill bees if they are exposed to direct treatment so we recommend applying this product when they are not visiting your plants.

 

[estricklin]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2732908

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/captantech.pdf

Just two that I found after a quick Google search.

Well I certainly wouldn't drink the stuff....

You guys are right about it being an egg mass though, I can see that on my computer monitor.

Pyrethrin or Permerthrin is my weapon of choice for dealing with bugs, again, not drinking the stuff or over applying; but following directions and being modest. I wouldn't aim for any hops either.

 

[nagmay]

All the pesticides mentioned so far can have nasty side effects. Many are systemic, meaning that this close to harvest, the chemicals will end up in your hop cones (and beer). Unless you have a bad infestation, a little manual work can go a long way. Simply clip off the leaf, or spray it with a strong jet of water.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[FiddlersGreen87]

Neem oil will not have residual effects. It naturally fades of a couple weeks. It can also be mixed in a spray bottle and applied just to infestations.

However, I do agree if this is the only spot you've got a problem then we've jumped the gun on the pesticide stuff. Just clip the leaf and move on.

 

[macdaddymike]

Look at http://www.whatsthatbug.com/

Could be good bugs, too.

 

[macdaddymike]

Look at "http://www.whatsthatbug.com/

Could be good bugs, too.

 

[Hamaki]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2732908

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/captantech.pdf

Just two that I found after a quick Google search.

I found similar info. One says highly carcinogenic to lab animals, the other says probable human carcinogen. I didn't find a source that indicated highly carcinogenic to humans. Not saying it's non-toxic or not a carcinogen but I was bothered a bit by the term "highly carcinogenic".

NIH's Toxnet http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+951 says:

Cancer Classification: Likely to be carcinogenic to humans following prolonged, high-level exposures causing cytotoxicity and regenerative cell hyperplasia in the proximal region of the small intestine (oral exposure) or the respiratory tract (inhalation exposure), but not likely to be a human carcinogen at dose levels that do not cause cytotoxicity and regenerative cell hyperplasia.
[USEPA Office of Pesticide Programs, Health Effects Division, Science Information Management Branch: "Chemicals Evaluated for Carcinogenic Potential" (April 2006)] **PEER REVIEWED**

 

[pumpkinman2012]

Are we really going to try to pick this apart? This isn't about trying to be politically correct or trying to find a fault in what anyone posts, it is about a product that can harm you, It's your choice, use it freely, it's your garden, I was simply trying to alert you of the potential dangers, I find little difference between the terms "deadly" and "potentially deadly".
I'm a bit puzzled by your post, what are you trying to say, that it kills mice, but since no humans were given a dose large enough to kill them, it is a "probable human carcinogen", which makes it fine to use on products that you are going to consume?
I usually look at it like this, would I feed this to my children? Hell No, especially when there are so many other solutions out there that are not "probable human carcinogens"

 

[Hamaki]

My apologies to the OP for hijacking this thread. And to Pumpkinman 2012 for any offence given by my posts; none was intended.

My point was simple - Captan is a fungicide approved for use on food crops. Like many such chemicals it can be harmful to human health if misused. At present it is not a known human carcinogen but there's a pretty good chance it may be. I took issue with the term "highly carcinogenic" because of its current classification.

Ethanol in alcoholic beverages, however, is a known human carcinogen. Acetaldehyde, the green apple flavor resulting from an unhealthy fermentation, is also a known human carcinogen. I would not advise anyone stop making homebrew because the product is "highly carcinogenic".

In terms of non-cancer exposures, the LD50 for ethanol is a little lower than that for Captan. This means you'd likely die from a smaller dose of ethanol than Captan. Oddly, the LD50 for Green Cure, an alternative product mentioned by name, is lower than either but the MSDS does state that it contains no carcinogens. For all products one would have to consume inordinate amounts to result in death. Much more likely with ethanol, since consumption is the point.

I fully support recommending non-toxic and less toxic alternatives but it bothers me when I see inflammatory and inaccurate statements like "highly carcinogenic" where there does not seem to be a basis.