Quote of the Day: Alexander Pope
“All Nature’s difference keeps all Nature’s peace.”
I was thinking about this quote the other day when someone asked me about my pest control in the garden. Here at Chiot’s Run I just let nature run it’s course. Occasionally I’ll lose a crop to a pest, but I like to observe to see how nature works and what will happen. We must remember that the “pest” insects feed the benficial insects and the birds. If we meticulously get rid of all “bad” insects in the garden we’ll be inadvertently getting rid of beneficial things as well.
What’s your favorite beneficial insect and which is your more loathed pest insect?
Filed under Quote | Comments (13)
Last year I found two tomato hornworms in my garden that were parasitized by braconid wasps. They were covered in little wasp cacoons. It was disgusting and fascinating at the same time. I am with you. Let nature take its course. I almost never completely lose a crop. Some years are better than others for certain vegetables. I think for me,weather in the Northeast is much more of a challenge than garden pests.
to Kathi Cook's comment
I don’t do any special pest control, aside from picking off bugs that don’t belong (squash bugs last year!). I agree with Kathi, the Northeast weather is more the challenge!
to mandie's comment
With the hail – yes, weather can drive you crazy. Chickens are also great with the pests. They love to eat bugs, and grubs, and ticks…
to Allison's comment
I believe in letting things take their coarse most of the time but really haven’t been able to alter my negative feelings about snails which can wipe out my seedlings in the wink of an eye if I’m not diligent. I like your suggestion about becoming more curious about them. Thanks!
to Annie's comment
Im with you.. I prefer the natural law of life in my garden.
I love the adored lady bug but despise the loathsome squash bug. I love squash of all vegetables more than any, and those evil vermin can come in & decimate my squash in a heartbeat.
to KimH's comment
I’m with you & glad you are writing about it. It really is a very wise lesson. One I first learned from my very elderly neighbor years ago. We were talking about the prolific mosquitoes in the area one day and he said very plain, “They use to spray, but everything beautiful went away. Once they stopped all the birds flew back.”
to Lindsay Wilkinson's comment
#1 – Hornworms!!! Figured out if I rototill in late fall to plant a cover crop, the ones that try to overwinter freeze out. That has helped immensely.
#2 – For the last several years, I’ve had bugs and flies ALL over my strawberry plants. Little teeny green critters, too – probably aphids? They don’t seem to harm the plants and produce, though, so I have left them alone. This year? My strawberry plants are crawling with ladybugs and their larva. Yay!
to KimP's comment
The hideous cabbage worm or caterpillar. They will decimate all of my brassicas in a NY minute if I am not fastidious about picking them off. I do appreciate how the braconid wasp deals with the hornworms.
to amy's comment
I pretty much let nature happen, I do occasionally spray Bt for tomato hornworm but rarely loose a crop to pests, more like some kind of fungus or wilt. My biggest pest is grasshoppers, I can’t completely get rid of them but I find if I carry my clippers around I can snip their little heads off when I see them. They can decimate my little seedlings in one night.
to Chef Debbi's comment
…Gorgeous photos Susy!
…Oh this one’s easy, Ladybug – personal fav’. Squash Bug – *shudders uncontrollably* I have never really thought of it the way that you just did but that is a great train of thought to adopt. It’s just so hard for me when you see these Squash Bugs and Cucumber Beetles ravaging your squash, cucumber and pumpkins. Aughh!
…Enjoy your evening!
…Blessings :o)
to tj's comment
We have an abundance of lady bugs right now, too. They are hanging out on my Chinese mosaic beans, right alongside a plethora of leafooted bugs and ants…it is a weird combination.
to Misti's comment
Pray mantis is pretty awesome.
I HATE grasshoppers.
D E A T H to A L L H O P P E R S!
to Maybelline's comment
Firstly, auugh that is a great photo of the lady bug! It’s being cradled by the clover… ♥
I don’t believe “love” or “hate” is what I’d use for my pest control methods… but “tolerate”. Haha! I tolerate flies, earwigs, roly-poly, centipedes, milipedes, mosquitoes, stink bugs, crickets, grasshoppers, termites, cabbage moths, hornworms, ants, and aphids. Naturally not all of these are bad for the gardens, most of the time I’ll move the beneficials to my newly-created compost beds… Will I smush a few of them on-sight? Sure! I won’t eradicate with pesticides, but I am not against removing a few from my gardens… hehe!
Especially carpenter ants… they made a nest right in my sitting area! Grrr..
to Donna B.'s comment