If you’re growing asparagus you probably have been harvesting for a couple weeks now. You are not alone in enjoying those delicious, nutritious sprouts – the Asparagus Beetle is now active and it’s time to deal with them!

One of the first signs that you have Asparagus Beetles are curved tops on asparagus sprouts known as “shepherds’ hooks”. You might also see the adult beetles on your asparagus, usually up near the tops. They are eating your asparagus and laying eggs for another generation and your job is to stop them as soon as possible. Frequent harvesting and cutting off remaining shoots at ground level reduces the sprouts available for beetles.

The easiest approach is to quickly hand pick them off before they escape and “dispatch” them as you prefer. Squash them, drop them into soapy water, collect them is a jar that you can close, etc., your choice, but don’t let them get away! The best time to go beetle hunting is on warm, sunny afternoons when they are most active. You might also find their eggs on your asparagus. These are very small, black, and tend to stick out all around the upper sprouts like tiny bristles. The eggs can be washed off with a soft brush so you can still eat the sprouts. Sprouts that are severely curled may be too tough to eat and are lost.

Organically accepted insecticides can also be used to control Asparagus Beetles. Both Pyganic and Grandevo are used for asparagus beetle control during harvest. Continue to control them after harvest time into the “fern” phase of growth when the larvae will be hatching and eating your asparagus foliage. Kaolin (Surround), pyrethrin (PyGanic) and petroleum oil (Suffoil) are used to control the larvae on the ferns during the summer.

Asparagus Beetles over-winter as adults inside hollow asparagus stems, asparagus berries, and other organic matter. Cut off and clear away (far away) or burn all your dead asparagus stems to remove next year’s beetle population in late summer after the ferns have turned brown.

Next Topic: Mulching in the Garden. It’s still a little too early to lay down mulch for most plants. Next week we’ll discuss some good ways mulch can suppress weeds, conserve soil moisture, improve soil, and promote natural pest controls.