beetle problem!

discusmike

Hi guys,im having problems with beetles on my cork bark elm,anly suggestions to keep them off?They leave all my other trees alone.

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discusmike

I was hoping there might be a natural way of treating my tree,so these little pests stop eating my leaves.Someone told me you can soak a cigar in a jar of water,then mist the tree,and it will keep bugs off.I'm not sure if this is safe for bonsai?Apparently,bugs dont like nicotine,and its suppossed to be harmless to your trees or shrubs.

Glider

Yes, that will work. It's an old (smokers) gardening trick to throw all their dog-ends into a bucket of water until it's full and then use the solution as an insecticide.

Nicotine is a plant alcaloid as is produced by the tobacco plant (Nicotiana) as a defence against insects. It's been used by man as an insecticide since the mid 18th century.

Nicotine is one of the most toxic chemical known to humans. It is an ACh receptor antagonist (i.e. it blocks the function of Acetylcholine receptors at neuromuscular junctions) meaning that nerve signal passing to muscles are blocked. In humans a lethal dose is only between 40-60mg, so it doesn't take much to kill an insect.

It's often used as an ingredient of commercial insecticides because it's so effective. It won't harm anything that doesn't have ACh receptors (e.g. plants).

If you use it as a spray, spray on a windless day and avoid breathing the mist, or use a coarser spray (that doesn't mist). Don't use it on anything you intend to eat (e.g. tomatos). It will kill all the bugs very quickly, but it's indiscriminate and will kill friends (ladybirds etc.) as well as foe.