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BY
On
Integrated Pest
Management is the combination of appropriate pest control tactics into a
single plan to reduce pests and their damage to an acceptable level.
Relying only on pesticides can cause pests to develop resistance. There
are a number of choices on how to control your garden insect pests.
These include natural controls, host resistance, biological control,
cultural control, mechanical control, and chemical control.
Biological control
involves the introduction or conservation of natural enemies including
predators, parasitoids, and pathogens to suppress insect pest
infestations. This approach includes applying an insecticide only when
it will be most effective, and as selectively as possible, so as to
promote the natural activities of the beneficial insects.
Cultural control
includes altering the environment, the condition of the host plant, or
the behavior of the pest to prevent or suppress an infestation. It also
includes practicing good sanitation in your garden as many insect pests
overwinter in plant debris, and includes using proper watering,
fertilizing, and good growing practices so you have healthy plants.
Mechanical control is
a great option and includes physically removing insects and eggs from
your plants and destroying them, physically removing weeds from your
garden, and preventing certain insects from attacking your plants. Nets
(row covers) over plants during periods of high pest activity are very
beneficial. This can avoid chemical use.
Chemical control
should be used only when needed and only as one component of your insect
management plan. Remember, insecticides need to be used properly and
always follow the instructions. When using insecticides, start with the
least toxic, such as insecticidal soap, so you don’t kill the beneficial
and other good bugs.
Use the right insecticide, at the
right
What is the right insecticide? Do you know that Sevin is highly
toxic to the ladybugs that eat aphids? And Sevin is highly toxic to bees
that pollinate your flowers, cucumber, squash, and many other plants. If
you did not get your season long control on and you have noticed grub
damage, Dylox and other short residual insecticides will kill grubs but
needs to be applied when the grubs are small and present. This is
usually from mid-August to about mid-September. Again, adequate
irrigation after treatment is essential for acceptable control.
Remember, the bag may say the product inside will kill grubs, but not
specify how well, and usually does not say when to apply in
When controlling aphids I use insecticidal soap first as this
product does not injure the beneficial predators (lady beetles).
Insecticidal soap is also good for spider mites and many other
destructive insects. It can be used in the vegetable garden up to the
day of harvest.
Use the right insecticide, at the right
If you have applied too high a rate of insecticide, or applied an
insecticide when not needed, you have probably killed many of the
beneficial insects that are helping keep your insect pests under
control. Not all inhabitants of your landscape are hurting your plants,
or your lawn.
Many people want to kill the night crawlers in their lawn. They
don’t want to be bothered with those worms on their driveway or sidewalk
after a heavy rain, or don’t like the bumps in their yard from the night
crawlers. But these worms are nature’s aerators. We pay people to core
aerate our lawn, but then apply chemicals to kill off nature’s workers.
Sometimes our behavior just does not make any sense.
Use the right insecticide, at the
right
References: “The Gardener’s Guide to
Common-Sense Pest Control” by
“Insects and
Gardens” by
“Growing Plants to Attract Beneficial Insects” by Copyright 2012 |