I had never heard of a harlequin bug until I moved to Tennessee. Seems they only plague southern gardens. Usually these pests do not show up in my garden until later in June. So I was shocked to see my kale covered in Harleqiun bugs this morning. They were having a good ‘ol time eating and mating. Well, I put a quick end to their party. The plants that were most infested were cut down and shoved into a trash bag. The bugs scattered over the remaining plants, were plunged into a cup of soapy water.
I have kale planted in two different beds. In this particular bed the kale was covered with a row cover for the winter. The kale in the other bed had no bugs and received no winter protection. So this fall, all the kale remains uncovered.
So were the bugs already present when the row cover was put on last fall? …or was there an opening for them to get in?
They were on the plants in the fall, but by time I covered them, they were gone. When I removed the covers there were no signs of the bugs either. So they must have overwintered in the mulch, as nymphs or adults. Most of the kale leaves, were eaten or frost killed. These leaves are new growth.
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