Tater bugs already

[muddstopper]

I tilled my garden a few weeks ago getting ready for the planting season. After just letting the soil rest, I tilled it all again the day I wanted to plant. This is when I started seeing tater bugs in/on the ground. I have never seen tater bugs this early and never in bare soil. I was doing a little crow proofing yesterday by stringing a lot of lines above the garden and looked down and the tater bugs are every where. There is nothing green in the garden right now as I just planted it a few days ago. With this many bugs, this early, My garden wont stand a chance. I need advice as to what to spray the soil with to get these buggers under control before my seed shoots up and gets eaten by the bugs.

 

[Ash_403]

I'm not sure what to recommend for spray.
Do you have any chickens, or possibly borrow some?

Is you garden large in size? Possible to use one of those large propane torch tips/wands like Harbor Freight sells? Scorch the bugs.

(I hope you didn't jinx my garden. Year 4 for growing potatoes, and still not one sign of 'tater bugs'.)

 

[muddstopper]

I sprayed the whole garden with Neem and havent seen any bugs the last few days. I dont have a lot of faith in the neem, just have to wait and see I guess.

 

[Big Red Oaks 4 me]

I've got quite a few tater plants, and they are above the usual tater bug infestation size, but I haven't seen any yet. I know it's coming, though. I have the Sevin Dust ready. As for my crow-proofing, I hung a dead crow in the middle of one corn patch, and that kept them away. I think thye corn is too big for them to pull-up now, but we do need some rain. Good luck with your garden.

 

[muddstopper]

I just got my garden planted a couple weeks ago, I was seeing the bugs on bare ground. I suspect the tilling brought them out of the ground because there sure wasnt anything for them to eat. Corn, Okra, beans, squash and zucchini up about 3 or 4 inches now. Tater bugs are opportunist, they will eat anything including weeds.