Should Gardeners Be Trying to Eliminate Every Bug in the Garden?

There are a number of insects that can injure the plants in our gardens but it is important to know which ones just cause cosmetic problems vs. those that actually destroy our flowers, shrubs and trees. The question becomes what battles do we need to fight and which ones should we not worry about? It is not necessary to eliminate every insect especially when the damage they may cause is very minor and does not threaten the health of the plant.

One of the chewing insects that may be here soon in significant quantities and has already made an appearance is the Fall Web Worm. These little guys can gang up on a small branch of just about any tree or shrub, not normally evergreens, and in a matter of a couple of days make lace out of the leaves. Take a look at this Tricolor Beech tree leaf. The leaf at the bottom of the picture is normal and the one at the top is "skeletonized". All the fleshy part of the leaf has been eaten leaving the ribs of the leaf. Now the question is what to do? Because this insect normally is located on a small part of the plant it is easier to physically remove this pest by putting on a pair of gloves and removing the damaged plant parts with the little worms. It doesn't make any sense to spray the entire tree since this pest is very local and will not reappear this year.

The take home message is to identify the insect that is causing the problem before grabbing a container of pesticide and start applying a product that will not necessarily control the pest that is harming your plants. There are specific control measures to consider for many of the insects that attack the plants we prize. We can be more effective in controlling the bugs that harm our plants when we have identified the insect so the correct control measure can be used. The result is better control of the pest(s) and we may be able to save money by using the "right stuff" and at the same time protect the environment, our pollinators, the bees and butterflies that we depend on for our food supply.


30 years of Growing
Meadow View Growers
New Carlisle, OH
www.meadowview.com

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Landscaping/Gardening Information:

Related Articles

Gardening for Kids
Children are continually bombarded with advertising for fast food and unhealthy treats. One of the most important lessons you can teach them is how to tend and grow their own food from the garden.
What Type of Gazebo is Right for You? Top Questions You Need to Ask
Having a gazebo in the backyard is an excellent way to enhancethe appearance while providing you with a quiet place to sit andrelax after a hard day at work. Gazebos are wonderful forbarbecue parties, family gatherings, or simply sipping on a cupof coffee or glass of lemonade on a lazy day.
Building Liner Ponds
Surprisingly enough, it is usually in mid-summer that manygardeners begin to think about installing a small pond orwater garden. Ponds don't need to be weeded or watered, andthey can supply exuberant color in the form of water liliesand bog plants.
How to Attract Birds to Your Backyard Paradise For Less Than $100
Like many Americans, you may find bird watching to be a fascinating hobby. At the same time, perhaps you wonder how you can attract regular visitors to your yard without busting the bank by purchasing expensive foliage, feeders, and food.
Gardening - An Expression
Give the same plants to several people, you willsee several arrangements. Each one distinct anddifferent, yet, using the same plants.
Decorative Garden Accents
Think of your garden like you would a room in your home. After planning the shape, tilling the soil, choosing the right plants the last step is to add those personal touches.
Organic Roses in the Flower Garden
Many people believe growing their flowers and vegetables organically is healthier for them and their environment. It is natural that you may wish to grow your roses this way also.
Hummingbird Migration
Specific humming bird migration patterns differ by species and habitats, but there are a few common points linking the different species' migration habits.All hummingbirds migrate because of the hormonal changes within their bodies which are set off by changes in the length of daylight.
Garden for Birds #4
I would like to know..
Vermicomposting - Worm Composters For Eco-Friendly Waste Disposal and Recycling
Worms are not only the gardener's best friend, they are also the recycler's new found best friend as well. Nature's little waste disposal experts have found a new place in eco-conscious household's across the globe as more and more people are catching on to the idea of using worms' special talents to dispose of their organic household waste.
Turn Your Patio Into A Voluminous Vegetable Garden
My first apartment was a second-story condo in an urban complex, far displaced from the groomed suburban landscapes and sprawling gardens I had grown up with. My only connection to the outdoors was a small porch, surrounded by brown siding and a fading carpet of artificial turf.
Preparing The Garden For Winter
Are you like me? Sad to see the summer end but at the same time relieved that there is one less task to tend to. Weeding, watering, pruning, and more weeding is over for this year and with a few more chores the outdoor gardening year draws to a close.
Gardeners: Contain Yourselves!
Whether you live in a tiny city apartment or on a large country estate, gardening in containers is a way to add colour and the beauty of nature to your surroundings. The three main elements of creating successful containers gardens are:Choosing the potsGetting the right planting mediumSelecting the plantsIn all of these elements, the key is to create a healthy growing environment for the plant roots.
Multi Purpose Tree - Sugar Palm
Palm family is unique in the aspect that most of its members have muli purpose benefits to the mankind, unrivalled by few other trees. There are several palm species such as Borassus, Areca, Sago, Fish Tail etc.
Garden Swings Create an Enchanted Garden Setting
Nothing invites one to sit and enjoy a lovingly created and tended garden quite the way that a garden swing does. Only from the perch of a gently swaying garden swing can one fully appreciate the bounty of nature complete with the subtle flowery and earthy smells of the garden.
Camellias
Camellias Named by Linnaeus in 1735 in honour of the Jesuit priest and naturalist Georg Josef Kamel, Camellia is a genus originating mainly from China but with a range covering a large area of South East Asia. The exact number of species is not clear but it is somewhere around 100.
5 Things To Consider Before Purchasing a Push Reel Mower
Push Reel Mowers are making a "comeback" of sorts, though, in reality they've never really left; they've just gotten better. There are a number of reasons why purchasing a reel mower would make sense such as: better for the environment; more exercise; lighter; and, better for the grass, to name a few.
Think Vintage for Your Garden
Container gardeners take note. Tired of clay pots? Think vintage, because when you do, there'll be lots to choose from.
How to Create a Zen Garden
When you hear the term "Zen Garden" the picture conjured up is of a dry landscape with rocks surrounded by carefully raked gravel which invites you to withdraw from the noise of the world outside and to enter into silent meditation. Some say that zen priests adopted the dry landscape style in the eleventh century as an aid to create a deeper understanding of the zen concepts, but others hold that the Japanese Zen Garden is a myth.
Landscaping Tips
When you want to create a beautiful and functional landscape, the task may be overwhelming. Before the first shovel of soil is turned, close your eyes and picture your dream garden.