Question
QUESTION: I'm in Irvington, KY, I have a 30x30' vegetable garden, and have a lot of cantaloupe in there too.
recently, seemingly since the cantaloupe has started vining out I'm noticing hordes of butterflies- little purple ones and larger, but still little yellow ones. They never appear to be on the plants, they are always on the soil. I have cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, green beans, sweet potatoes, corn, bellpeppers, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, watermellon, and of course-cantaloupe. Are the butterflies bad for my garden? I don't use any kind of chemicals on my plants so I don't know what's attracting them or what they are?
Thanks
Christina

ANSWER: Christina, you have nothing to worry about. Butterflies are not harmful at all. As a matter of fact, they aid in pollination of fruiting vegetable plants. So they are actually attracted to the blooms on the cantaloupe plants.

I'm glad to hear you don't use chemicals. They are very toxic and should never be used around edible plants.

Good luck, and please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Mike,

Thanks for your fast response.
OK so shortly after I emailed the first time I went outside and pulled an ear of corn off the stalk to bring in for dinner. I pulled back the shuck and EEW there was this little green worm near the top of the ear and there were several kernels that were brown and mushy and grose. The worm was about an inch down the head and there was no damage below him. So #1- whas that a hook worm?? #2 Is the rest of the ear safe to eat?? #3 How do I get rid of/prevent them on my other ears without chemicals??

Thanks!
Christina

Answer
Christina, the little green worm you described is called a corn borer. You prevent them by adding a couple drops of horticultural iol in the tip of the ear once the silks appear.

Once the borer is present, you can control them with an organic pesticide called BT, which is short for Bacillus thuringiensis, more commonly sold under the brand names Dipel or MVP. It is a dust that is non-toxic to humans and beneficials but highly effective against caterpillars, borers, and hornworms. You can purchase this product through on-line catalogs such as Gardens Alive or locally at many garden centers.

Attached is a link that should help:

http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8797

To answer your second question, you can eat the section that is still undamaged with no ill effects.

Good luck.

Mike