Garden Insect Pests of North America - Pictures for Identifying and Organic Controls
By Moni Hayne
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About this ebook
Have a garden insect problem? Need effective organic insect control solutions? If you are looking for pictures as well as effective methods to prevent and control garden pests in a sustainable garden this is the resource you need.
With pictures and natural control systems for 30 of the most common insect pests in your garden, you get a definitive guide to help you keep your garden pest free. The book also tells you which are the good bugs you don't want to control - because they're eating the bad bugs.
The book includes the organic, sustainable controls you can do at home but also, more importantly, describes tricks you can easily do to avoid having pests in your garden in the first place.
The author has 2 degrees in entomology and has worked in a wide variety of research projects on many different vegetable and fruit crops. She works with schools, 4-H clubs and conservation groups to help develop effective identification and control programs for those unwanted pests.
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Garden Insect Pests of North America - Pictures for Identifying and Organic Controls - Moni Hayne
Acknowledgements
This EBook was written with the help of several individuals. I want to especially thank Doug Green, garden writer, who encouraged me to take the leap and put the information I had accumulated over years on paper. His partner, Mayo Underwood, was my grammar guru as well as asked questions to help clarify what I meant to say. Thank you - Doug and Mayo for your encouragement, advice, and all around great help and support!!
There were several gardening friends who let me know about pests in their gardens so I could get the photos I needed. Thank you - Elizabeth, Colleen, and MJ.
Lastly, it is important to say thank you to my family for all their support as I worked on research, writing, and photography. This would not be done if not for the computer help from my husband, Greg and photo lettering by Kelsey. Thank you - Greg, and daughters - Darin, Kelsey and Cassandra for your encouragement and support. Though my folks have passed on, it is their influences that lead me to where I am today. This is written in memory of Jean and Keith Painter.
Introduction
The variety and sheer numbers of insects found in gardens can be overwhelming. There are over 100,000 insect species found in North America and more being discovered all the time. For the purposes of this book, North America includes anything north of Mexico.
Not every insect is an enemy; in fact most are beneficial in one way or another. To figure out how to defend your garden from an insect pest you first need to identify the insect! From there you can find out what plant it likes, what time of year it arrives and then what to do to prevent or eliminate the damage. This book will help get you started to know what pests might be in your garden and what you might do about it.
Prevention
There are several things you can do to prevent pest problems. Most involve preparation. A little time spent in the fall cleaning and prepping the soil will save lots of time in the spring when you have other things to do, and soils may be wet.
Prepare the soil in the fall by removing dead, infected, and diseased plant matter. Anytime there is insect infested plant material, it should be removed as soon as possible and never left to overwinter in the garden.
Remove weeds. They might harbor insect pests. For example: weeds related to mustard or cabbage will be a source for cabbage worms, aphids, and diamondback moths which can infest spring crops. It is important to have perennial and annual flowers in the area to provide nectar for beneficial insects, but these plants should not be related to the two major garden crops like the cabbage family or potatoes, since those might harbor pest insects that would then infest our gardens. Flowers and weeds related to cabbage would include shepherds purse, garlic mustard, stocks, alyssum, wallflowers, nasturtium or candytuft. Nightshade, jimsonweed, nicotiana (flowering tobacco), angel's trumpet, petunia, or ground cherries would be weeds and flowers related to potatoes.
Tilling in the fall is the best time under most circumstances. Soils are usually drier in fall than spring. By tilling the soil, pest insects are exposed to cold winter conditions which are likely to reduce pest populations. Tilling also brings some insect pupae and larvae to the surface where predators, especially birds, are more likely to find them.
Maintaining good fertility and high organic matter helps plants to grow their best. When plants are healthy and strong they are not as susceptible to pest damage. Like in the wild, predators such as lions will first attack the weak in a herd, not the strong healthy animal. Pest insects can detect when a plant is weak and under stress, so that is the plant they attack.
Rotating crops is another way to keep pests from developing. Follow a regular 3 to 4 year rotation of similar crops. For example, do not plant any of the solanaceous (nightshade) family of plants in the same area for at least 3 years. This will keep insect pests like Colorado potato beetle, hornworms, and flea beetles from sitting in the soil ready to eat your newly planted seedling.
Selecting resistant varieties of plants is a good choice when you know a pest is in your area. There are varieties of many vegetables and fruits that show resistance to certain pests. Many seed catalogs list resistant characteristics. For instance, butternut squash is not favored by squash vine borers while most zucchini varieties are like candy to them!
Natural vs Organic
Control measures given here are 'organic', which means they are made from natural ingredients. They are easier on the environment than synthetically produced insecticides because they breakdown more quickly and don't hang around in soil or water for a long time.
Organic does not mean the products are necessarily totally safe. For example, pyrethrin, a plant derived insecticide, has been used for insect control for a very long time. It breaks down quickly from sunlight and controls many insects. However, in controlling many insects it kills beneficial insects including bees and is toxic to fish and tadpoles. Many times pyrethrins are mixed with oils to extend their activity. One of the most common oils used is canola oil. Most canola oils are genetically modified which can not be used for organic food production. Be sure to read all the label directions for any product