Had an awful time last year with blister beetles. They destroyed as much of my garden as the heat and the gophers did. I’m told that a lot of the time, the eggs are already in the garden soil / potting soil we buy, so there’s no way to know you’ve got an infestation until they hatch and start obliterating things. Is there anything I can do this year as a preventative measure?
You may want to check out Nature’s Good Guys, or Arbico Organics.
Nature’s Good Guys
https://www.naturesgoodguys.com/
Arbico Organics
https://www.arbico-organics.com/
That sounds awful! I don’t have Blister Beetles up here, but I did some research and here’s what I found:
“Blister beetles can be a real pest in the garden. They feed on the pollen in many flowers including tomato, potato, and eggplants causing them not to set fruit. They can also cause skin irritations when touched, scared, or damaged. So avoid touching them with bare hands. But controlling them naturally is quite easy with these simple steps.”
Diatomaceous Earth sprinkled on the soil and around plants is a good organic solution.
Hand-pick them when you see them. (Wear gloves!)
Plant ‘Trap’ Crops.
https://www.homestead-acres.com/how-to-get-rid-of-blister-beetles/