Insects in the garden!

May 15, 2011

While I have no moral or environmental issues with the use of pesticides in the garden, I've stopped using them simply because I enjoy sampling many of my vegetables right after being harvested in the garden. I'm not as comfortable doing that if they have been sprayed with insecticide.

When I first decided to eliminate pesticides, I didn't know how well it would work or if my garden would survive the onslaught of voracious sap sucking and leaf chewing insects. This year, I've noticed the largest population of predatory insects I've ever seen in my garden. I have many assassin bugs which always seem to be standing guard over their little piece of real estate. While most insects will scurry under a leaf or fly away when I approach, the assassin bugs just stand their ground and let me work around them while they wait for a meal to fly into their territory.

The population of lady bugs has grown each year as they overwinter in the cracks and crevices of my garden and produce more young every spring. They seem to keep the sucking insects under control.

I've had an abundance of predatory wasps this year. They are always on the hunt for larger caterpillars and soft bodied insects to carry back to their nests or dens to feed their young. In my many years of gardening, I've never been stung by a wasp or bee in the garden. They are usually buzzing and flying around me as I work. A friend was visiting with me in the garden last week and he advised me I was about to get stung by a large red wasp. I allowed the wasp to land on my hand and stay until it was ready to leave. He looked around for awhile and then left for better hunting grounds.

I used to be concerned about the number of ants in my garden. Some ants seem to raise and protect aphids for their nectar in the same manner we raise and protect dairy cattle. I let the aphid control insects deal with them. The other ants remind me of the janitors and cleaning staff who enter large office buildings at the end of most work days. They clean and shine all the surfaces and carry out the waste while we are sleeping and we never see them. It seems the ants perform the same chores in my garden.

Every morning when I enter my garden, spider webs have been spun through plants and between plants. If I look closely, I can usually see the little bundles of insect refuse they have wrapped in web material for disposal. The refuse is the remains of flying insects which may have hatched during the night or simply made the mistake of thinking my garden would provide an easy meal. I usually break the webs as I walk between the beds and pick fruit. The spiders don't seem to mind because they construct new webs the next evening.

I also placed a few bird houses in my garden last year in the hopes they would stay and help eat the larger insects like grasshoppers. While none of the houses were occupied last year, most of them are this year and the grasshopper population seems greatly reduced. I have removed a few bird nests from my garden because I know the particular species like cardinals peck a few holes in red ripe tomatoes before flying on to the next red ripe tomato. Someone once told me the cardinals only wanted the moisture in the tomatoes. They said if I would place some shallow water pans around the garden, the cardinals would use that water instead and leave my tomatoes alone. I did and they didn't. They like to build their nests in the very center of upright tomato plants. I try to find them before they lay eggs and remove them. They usually get the hint and build somewhere else.

Ted

salix · May 15, 2011

Ted, your garden sounds like a wonderful place to be.

May 15, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by salix

Ted, your garden sounds like a wonderful place to be.

It's a great place to be early in the morning with a fresh cup of hot coffee. In the middle of the day when it's over 90 degrees and the sun feels like a blast furnace, it's not so good; but the plants love it. In the evenings, just before the sun sets; it's a nice place to be again. In the evenings, you can see the fruits that should be harvested the next morning.

Ted

beeman · May 16, 2011

If a few more folks would use Compost tea instead of chemicals, then more would appreciate your style of gardening.
This will be my 3rd year using Compost tea instead of chemicals and I see major changes in my insect populations.
Just found out that Compost tea eradicates the Eastern tent building caterpillars nest, just drys them up and they all die.

davespitzer · May 16, 2011

Your garden sounds like heaven. I spent the morning looking at slug damage and reminding myself that slug poison is not the answer. I have some potatoes with (I think) flea beetle damage, but there are ladybug larvae standing guard, so no need for chemicals. I just plant a few extras of everything and hope for the best! Best of luck with your garden! BTW I have never tried compost tea, but I will this year. All those gardeners can't be entirely wrong, so it's worth a try.

May 15, 2011	#1
tedln Guest Posts: n/a	Insects in the garden! While I have no moral or environmental issues with the use of pesticides in the garden, I've stopped using them simply because I enjoy sampling many of my vegetables right after being harvested in the garden. I'm not as comfortable doing that if they have been sprayed with insecticide. When I first decided to eliminate pesticides, I didn't know how well it would work or if my garden would survive the onslaught of voracious sap sucking and leaf chewing insects. This year, I've noticed the largest population of predatory insects I've ever seen in my garden. I have many assassin bugs which always seem to be standing guard over their little piece of real estate. While most insects will scurry under a leaf or fly away when I approach, the assassin bugs just stand their ground and let me work around them while they wait for a meal to fly into their territory. The population of lady bugs has grown each year as they overwinter in the cracks and crevices of my garden and produce more young every spring. They seem to keep the sucking insects under control. I've had an abundance of predatory wasps this year. They are always on the hunt for larger caterpillars and soft bodied insects to carry back to their nests or dens to feed their young. In my many years of gardening, I've never been stung by a wasp or bee in the garden. They are usually buzzing and flying around me as I work. A friend was visiting with me in the garden last week and he advised me I was about to get stung by a large red wasp. I allowed the wasp to land on my hand and stay until it was ready to leave. He looked around for awhile and then left for better hunting grounds. I used to be concerned about the number of ants in my garden. Some ants seem to raise and protect aphids for their nectar in the same manner we raise and protect dairy cattle. I let the aphid control insects deal with them. The other ants remind me of the janitors and cleaning staff who enter large office buildings at the end of most work days. They clean and shine all the surfaces and carry out the waste while we are sleeping and we never see them. It seems the ants perform the same chores in my garden. Every morning when I enter my garden, spider webs have been spun through plants and between plants. If I look closely, I can usually see the little bundles of insect refuse they have wrapped in web material for disposal. The refuse is the remains of flying insects which may have hatched during the night or simply made the mistake of thinking my garden would provide an easy meal. I usually break the webs as I walk between the beds and pick fruit. The spiders don't seem to mind because they construct new webs the next evening. I also placed a few bird houses in my garden last year in the hopes they would stay and help eat the larger insects like grasshoppers. While none of the houses were occupied last year, most of them are this year and the grasshopper population seems greatly reduced. I have removed a few bird nests from my garden because I know the particular species like cardinals peck a few holes in red ripe tomatoes before flying on to the next red ripe tomato. Someone once told me the cardinals only wanted the moisture in the tomatoes. They said if I would place some shallow water pans around the garden, the cardinals would use that water instead and leave my tomatoes alone. I did and they didn't. They like to build their nests in the very center of upright tomato plants. I try to find them before they lay eggs and remove them. They usually get the hint and build somewhere else. Ted Last edited by tedln; May 16, 2011 at 02:29 PM. Reason: Formatting

May 15, 2011	#2
salix Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: north central B.C. Posts: 2,310	Ted, your garden sounds like a wonderful place to be.

May 16, 2011	#4
beeman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 692	If a few more folks would use Compost tea instead of chemicals, then more would appreciate your style of gardening. This will be my 3rd year using Compost tea instead of chemicals and I see major changes in my insect populations. Just found out that Compost tea eradicates the Eastern tent building caterpillars nest, just drys them up and they all die.

May 16, 2011	#5
davespitzer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: East of Stockton, California Posts: 97	Your garden sounds like heaven. I spent the morning looking at slug damage and reminding myself that slug poison is not the answer. I have some potatoes with (I think) flea beetle damage, but there are ladybug larvae standing guard, so no need for chemicals. I just plant a few extras of everything and hope for the best! Best of luck with your garden! BTW I have never tried compost tea, but I will this year. All those gardeners can't be entirely wrong, so it's worth a try.