Bugs Are Eating My Plants..

[saramsland]

My plants are just normal small items on my balcony but over the last few weeks small bugs have been eating away my palms.. Ive also spotted a snail...

I have looked at Tops, Big C & Tesco for some insecticide etc however all they have is fertilizers..

Does anyone know where I can purchase a small bottle/spray bottle is possible of insecticide/pesticide to get rid of my bugs in Bangkok??

[loong]

Note, this is the organic sub-forum, so not the best place to ask about insecticides

You may find something useful at

Neem seems to deal with a lot of pests, but it is difficult to offer any advice without knowing what the problem is.

I believe that Homemart stores with a good gardening section carries neem and possibly something else that may help you to solve your problem.

[IsaanAussie]

As a quickie, get a bucket full of soapy water and douse the affected plant all over. Get the underneath of the leaves/fronds wet too.

[drtreelove]

Saramsland; The first principal of organic gardening pest control and IPM (integrated pest management) is to access and determine if the pest damage is excessive and not tolerable, or if minimal and not requiring control beyond natural pest enemies. The natural predators can also be killed with conventional insecticides. That's one reason why Loong and IssanAussie have rightfully suggested alternatives.

But if you are determined, Big C and Lotus/Tesco don't stock the pesticides in the gardening section with fertilizers, they have a shelf near cleaning supplies. Ask for Ya Ka Malaeng. Even if the label is mostly in Thai language, look for the active ingredient which will have English. A product with permethrin or cypermethrin (pyrethroids) is not organic, but will have minimum toxicity for people and pets (highly toxic to fish, so don't use near fish pond) You should locate target pests and spot spray to minimize environmental contamination, instead of drenching the entire area.

If you are only dealing with small balcony plants and not crops, you have some simple options. Mechanical control is a consideration, hand picking or wiping off of the critters, or hosing off with water. Many foliage feeding pests are the snails that you have observed, and caterpillars (hungry larva stage of a moth) and can be found at night or early morning. During the day they may harbor under surfaces, pots, boards, etc. Search and destroy.

You say that small bugs have been eating your palms; that sounds like you've seen them; so if you see them, you can hand pick or wipe them off. And that's somewhat good news that it isn't the dreaded red palm weevil or rhinoceros beetle, they are big and are palm killers.

IssanAussie's suggestion of insecticidal soap is a good one, but I don't recommend using just any soapy water. Some soaps and especially detergents have phyto-toxic salts that can harm plants. This class of insecticide will not be on the shelf at the super-markets; maybe at a farming supply store or plant market. For your balcony plants use an ironing spray bottle to apply spot treatments on target pests; this is a contact insecticide, not systemic or long lasting residual. To get a recipe for making your own, Search for "insecticidal soap" where I found these articles:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-insecticidal-soap.html

http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/lpro002/lpro002.htm