[snippy_about_it]

While I do have the greenhouse with the temperatures getting as low as they have everything I put inside froze.

I've been trying to find some answers on greenhouses. We have such trouble with bugs up here I'm thinking I should build a greenhouse rather than plant in the ground. Could you tell me if you get a lot of bugs in the greenhouse?

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

I think you can still get bugs in the greenhouse. Granny will have a much more comprehensive answer on this if she hasn’t jumped on this already.

Re the heat, you can store sealed two-liter bottles of water in the greenhouse to retain heat during the day, and they give off the heat at night. Don’t use gallon jugs because they break down too fast. Friends might be willing to save them for you. They have a recycle value here in CA (to keep the bums employed).

[DelaWhere]

I have had a greenhouse for quite a few years (but not the last couple) Insects are not a huge problem (unless you have an infestation and don’t treat it. It can get out of hand very quickly.

Those yellow insect sticky pads work great to help you monitor insect types and levels in your greenhouse.

Not only do the greenhouses provide optimal conditions for the insects propagation, but it does help with the treatment too, because whatever you use to treat them is more effective as you can control air circulation, moisture and maintain insecticide levels much more easily.

Probably the most common problems will be with aphids or maybe white fly.

I have found that the much milder more natural things like Safer Soap or even Fells Naptha soap well sprayed can be as effective as harsh chemical poisons.

The following is from our local County Agents website and it is from Michigan State University. Check you Ag Agent - they can be a wealth of practical information.

Greenhouse - Insect Management

Insects can easily build up in greenhouses due to the perfect growth environment. The following are some thoughts on managing insects in greenhouse production.

Starting clean

Do not carry-over insects from one crop to another. Keep thrips numbers down to less than 10 per card per week in the fall and winter on poinsettias and Dracaena. Avoid keeping houseplants or allowing weeds to grow in the greenhouse. When each batch of media arrives for a new crop, check it for fungus gnats by filling a 1 gallon ziplock bag half full with moist soil. If fungus gnat adults emerge within 2 weeks, consider applying a fungus gnat treatment at planting time. Check incoming plant material carefully for insects.

Scouting

Monitor thrips and whiteflies with yellow sticky cards. Change cards once per week. Use at least one card per house or one per 2,000 sq ft. Check the first plants that flower for thrips. For spider mites and aphids, check susceptible plants like marigolds (mites) and peppers (aphids), weekly. Potato wedges can be stuck in soil and checked 24 hours later for fungus gnat larvae. Systemic insecticidesUse Marathon, Tristar, Flagship, Safari or Aria in poinsettia pots, lily pots or in hanging baskets prone to problems with whiteflies, aphids, mealybugs or soft scales. Note: Aria does not work on silverleaf whitefly.

Preventing outbreaks

If yellow sticky cards or scouting indicates an increase in aphids, mites, thrips, fungus gnats or whiteflies, apply the following materials once per week until populations decrease to acceptable levels.

Thrips - Avid, Conserve, Mesurol, Orthene 97, Safari, Sanmite, Tristar.
Aphids - Aria, BotaniGard, Decathlon, Discus, Endeavor, Flagship, Marathon, Orthene 97, Precision, Safari, Talstar, Tristar.
Whiteflies - Azatin, BotaniGard, Decathlon, Distance, Endeavor, Enstar, Flagship, Marathon, Ornazin, Orthene 97, Precision, Safari, Sanmite, Talus, Judo, Tame, Tristar (Note: Q biotype may be resistant to Marathon, Flagship, Tristar, Safari, Distance and Talus).
Mites - Akari, Avid, Floramite, Hexygon, Judo, Ovation, Pylon, Sanmite, Shuttle, Tetrasan, Ultiflora.
Broad mites - Avid, Akari, Judo, Pylon, SanMite.
Fungus gnat (drenches) - Azatin XL, Adept (not on poinsettias), Distance, Marathon (perhaps other nicotinoids; not yet tested), Mesurol.
Mealybugs/ Soft scales - Aria, Flagship, Orthene, Safari, Talus and Tristar.

From the article “Greenhouse insect management” by Dave Smitley, MSU Entomologist, in the January 19, 2007 edition of the Greenhouse Alert newsletter from Michigan State University Extension

[nw_arizona_granny]

Could you tell me if you get a lot of bugs in the greenhouse?<<<

You may get a lot of bugs, if they have a way to get in.

Find lizards, toads and Praying Mantis and put them in there, and most of the others will wash off with a strong stream of water.

Plant things the bugs don’t like, peppermint, garlic, marigolds etc and it will help keep them away.

Tomato worms will eat a Datura plant, before they eat the tomatoes.

[Wneighbor]

I've been trying to find some answers on greenhouses. We have such trouble with bugs up here I'm thinking I should build a greenhouse rather than plant in the ground. Could you tell me if you get a lot of bugs in the greenhouse?

Hey Snippy! Nice to see you.

I just got a new greenhouse this year. I have not had terrible times with bugs in my greenhouse yet, being only February but I do notice that everytime I have the door open for very long I have honeybees in there. That's a good thing though.