Got Bugs?
My wife is an early riser and likes to watch the sun rise with her morning cup of coffee while I happily slumber. There have been a few occasions when I am awakened by a scream when an errant wood roach has found its way indoors and scurries across the floor. This is typically followed by the loud sound of a shoe as it is swung down to smite the poor bugger. We take offense when uninvited insects move into our homes. Some like flies are just annoying, others like the roach are viewed as insults to our cleanliness.
Clearly, bugs belong in the outdoors, but even when in their natural habitat, some of my fellow gardeners seem to fear them at the slightest sign of damage to a leaf and jump onto Facebook gardening groups for advice to eliminate them. Aphids are common visitors to our gardens that can quickly get out of control due to their rapid reproduction. Most aphids are female and will give live birth to 20 more that, within a week, can reproduce themselves, so in that week one becomes 20, becomes 400, and a week later there are 8,000. At the end of the month, that one aphid has become 160,000!
One non-chemical recommendation I often see for aphid control is to purchase lady beetles, which prey on aphids. The recommendation is based on the effectiveness of this practice in greenhouse infestations. In the home garden, however, studies show that the effectiveness of the practice is minimal at best. Upon release, the ladybeetles fly off in search of food. Most immediately fly away from the spot where they are released. Those that stay will fly off once their food supply runs low. So save your money and consider other options for aphid control. As with any intervention, rather than going for the nuclear solution immediately, you should assess the situation and respond based on the severity. This IPM (integrated pest management) approach is what extension specialists follow when giving advice. For aphids, an IPM response would look like the following.
Situation / Best Approach
– A few aphids / Monitor and encourage predators
– Small colonies / Sharp spray of water from your hose to knock them off
– Heavy infestation on a few shoots / Prune the affected growth and remove it from the garden
– Moderate infestation across plants / Spray with an insecticidal soap
– Recurring yearly problem / Reduce fertilization and improve habitat for beneficial insects
The best solution to control all pest insects in our gardens is to follow cultural practices that promote a healthy, balanced ecosystem. Encourage native beneficial insects adapted to our area by planting a diversity of plants, especially those that provide nectar/pollen resources. Have a water source in the garden that insects can access. Avoid the use of pesticides, using them only when absolutely necessary, with targeted application. Take efforts to improve your soil health by keeping the ground covered at all times with mulch or plants, and maintain soil structure by eliminating tilling and reducing compaction. Keep fertilization to a minimum using slow release options. Be sure to take time to enjoy your garden daily, allowing you to catch problems early when control is easiest and most effective with minimal impact.
Rather than focus on how to kill bugs, focus on creating a resilient ecosystem where pests rarely become severe. Give yourself permission to relax your standards a bit. A few chewed upon plant leaves are doing no significant harm to the plant. Even my Hibiscus will still flower this year and come back next year despite being feasted upon by caterpillars and grasshoppers. If you are also experiencing this, consider reframing your perspective and simply call it a “Laceleaf” variety, should anyone ask.
Bugs are important to the ecosystem, helping to break down organic matter to provide nutrition for our plants. They are an important food source for birds and other wildlife in our gardens. When we have infestations, it is often due to something we have done as we manipulate nature to meet our personal aesthetic. So embrace those creepy crawlies and flying critters in your garden; having bugs is a good thing.
