Sunday, June 19, 2011

Roselle surrendering to red bugs

 I saw thousands of red bugs all over roselle plants while doing grass cutting around papaya and roselle. I didn't count of course, but it is definitely more than hundreds.... They were everywhere, leaves, fruits, stems. It must have been during my busy weeks that these colony got out of hand, and swelled to such quantity. There were big red bugs with wings, there were wingless bugs with big belly and there were tiny ones too, their little kids. It should be three or four generations staying and making roselle plants their first 5 star hotel. Roselle juice must be too tempting to them, and the plants provide such excellent camourflage for their hideout.....
about the red bugs

Common name: red cotton bug,
Sci name: Dysdercus cingulatus.
( Thanks Andrea )



Red bugs

Red bugs

red bugs over at mimosa

red bugs


The seven roselle plants were pulled out

Okra / lady's finger / bendi replacing the empty spot.

I got rid of all red bugs, and chopped all roselle plants. Like going to a battle when both side suffered.  A new entity comes in to fill the vacumn, OKRA/ lady's fingers / bendi / kacang meo. We have been seeing this..., birth upon death.

bangchik and kakdah

17 comments:

  1. that does not look good all those red bugs,Ihope they dont come back.

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  2. So sorry about your roselle plants...this is the way of a garden...always something wants those beautiful plants. So out they come and in goes something new which hopefully won't be so tempting to the hoards of hungry critters! Buying Okra here is like buying gold...plus it's bruised and sometimes past its prime. So I look at your Okra plant with longing :)

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  3. The red bugs obviously had a family ticket at the Casa Rosella hotel...
    Do you know what sort of bugs they were?

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  4. Wow ...lots of bugs. Hope they're gone for good.

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  5. Oops! That is too many bugs! I hope they don't attack the bendi, since both roselle and okra belong to the same family.

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  6. Such a banquet laid out for them bugs! Hope it'll be their last:)

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  7. Those nasty bugs are chomping on my pumpkin's patch too, though not so bad as yours but so far havent touch my roselles!How do you get rid of them, insecticides?

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  8. I'm glad we don't have those things Yuk

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  9. Dear Bangchik, Interesting to watch your battle with the red bugs. Nature sends some nasty foes. P.

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  10. Sorry to hear about your plants.

    Happy Gardening,
    Kristina K.

    Urban Farm Wife

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  11. And I was thinking of growing Roselle this year ... but I could do without the red bugs!

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  12. That's a lot of bugs! Hope they don't come back!

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  13. cathy
    ~ these red bugs had been here on earth for million of years, they have survived that long, I am sure they will come back.

    Theanne and Baron
    ~ Beauty is so tempting.... for men, women and red bugs too. Some go all out to claim it. So sad, in this case, the end result is death upon death.

    Okra is so easy to grow here....

    Mark Willis
    ~ Cosa Rosella Hotel?, yeap such a great name, but too many hotel guests spoilt the beauty! I have placed the name of the red bugs in the post. Thanks to Andrea.

    Patsi
    ~ Knowing them, I am prepared for their comeback. It's alright if they are in small number, but these bugs multiply so fast!

    Lotusleaf
    ~ they make roselle their home and survive on roselle juice. But Okra may not offer such exotic juice.

    Keat.
    ~ with red bugs, there is a complex love / hate relationship. In small numbers, they are loveable, once they swell to thousands, it turns to extreme hate....

    ~bangchik and kakdah

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  14. puterichandan
    ~ yeap, some mild insecticide. These red bugs love to stay in a locality and colonise the whole place. But they dont really make the plants sick or die, they just seep the juice and keep on producing babies.

    Sue
    ~ you dont have so many different type of bugs/ insects. But we dont have frost... :)

    Pam
    ~ Nature has it's ways to balance things out.

    Kristina
    ~ Thanks..., gardeners are used to the ups and downs. Too bad, both roselle and bugs had to go.

    Prospero
    ~ Roselle is fun to grow..., the beautiful flowers, nice juice and jam. Bugs should not be viewed as a hindrance.

    Malar
    ~ I guess they will come back.... garden is as much theirs, where else would they go... :)

    ~bangchik and kakdah
    tanah merah kelantan.

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  15. I hope the bugs really go away as I had experienced with this bugs attacking my cucumber and watermelon. It really devastating moment for me. :-(

    Luckily not my roselle. Hope to see the roselle in your garden again.

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  16. I wong (依之汉)
    ~ To insects and pests, our little garden is their hunting ground. I am sure they will come back...

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  17. Wage war on any pest by dumping a shovel full of fire ants on them.

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