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USE THE RIGHT PRODUCT, AT THE RIGHT
AT THE RIGHT TIME, ON THE RIGHT
PLANT!!!!
PART #3--INSECTS
BY
Did you know
that only 3% of all the insects in world are destructive? I was
listening to a garden show on TV when the host asked the guest
entomologist if this statement is true. The entomologist said it was. I
was amazed so checked with two entomologists at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln and a County Extension Educator. They all confirmed
that the statement is true.
The host of the
TV program then asked “Why, when I spray my plants with a bug killer,
does it seem in a few days there are more insects than when I started
spraying?” The entomologist told the host that it was probably because
he not only killed the bad bugs, but also the beneficial natural enemies
(predators and parasitoids) that normally keep them in check. Have you
had that experience?
In Part #1 of this series I wrote about
the identification of weeds in your lawn and garden. Part #2 was about
using the right product to control those unwanted plants. Part #3 will
be about identification of insects and Part #4 will be about using the
right product, at the right rate, at the right time to control insects.
It really bothers me when people get out
the bug spray whenever they see any kind of insect. Or when people buy a
4-step, 5-step, or 6-step lawn program and put an insecticide on their
lawn even though they do not have an insect problem, or not sure they
have, or put it on in hopes they do not get one.
I overheard a
man tell a store clerk that he had just finished mowing his lawn and had
many moths fly up as he mowed. He was sure they would destroy his grass.
He asked for an insecticide that would take them all out. He had no idea
what the moths were and if they would injure his lawn.
For years the
only insecticide I have put on my lawn is “Merit” for grubs. The more
insecticide you use the more you kill the beneficials and predators that
keep the bad bugs under control. Don’t use an insecticide (liquid or
granular) unless you have to, and then use the least toxic insecticide
to get the job done. Remember that those all summer, season long
insecticides kill as many beneficials as they do harmful insects.
One
entomologist told me that the other 97% of the insects can probably be
classified as follows: 1.
Nuisance 2.
Neutral or incidentals-- They exist in our environment but
are not chewing on our plants, they do not transmit diseases, nor do
they bite us or our pets. Some, like butterflies, can be very pretty and
are prized for their aesthetic value. 3.
Beneficials-- They
can be further classified as:
·
Decomposers, that break down organic matter, help turn yard and kitchen
scraps into compost, and are necessary for the health of the soil in our
yard and garden;
·
Pollinators, such as bees, flies, beetles, and other flower-visiting
insects;
·
Predators
and parasites, including lady beetles, green lacewings, syrphid flies,
ground beetles, parasitoid wasps, and other insects that eat aphids,
grubs, caterpillars, as well as other yard and garden pests. The
parasitoids lay their eggs in, on, or near many undesirable insects,
their eggs eventually hatching and the larva feeding on the host insect,
soon killing it.
There are a number of choices on
how to control your garden pests. These include biological control,
cultural control, mechanical control, and chemical control.
In Part #4 more about insects, more about your choices for
control, a list of references, and I will especially encourage you to
Use the right insecticide, at the right Copyright 2011 |