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Battle of the bugs

A garden is a bug-eat-bug world of good and bad insects; try to reinforce the beneficial troops without resorting to chemical warfare!

By YVONNE SWANSON, Special to the Times
Published November 10, 2007

There's a battle brewing in your back yard. You can't see it or hear it, but the signs are all around you: either healthy, thriving plants or lackluster, downright chewed-up and sucked-dry ones. Sometimes a single plant becomes a casualty in only a day or two. - The soldiers are bugs and the war is, essentially, the good guys against the bad. Good, as in ladybugs and lacewings that eat pests. Bad, as in nematodes that destroy roots, and aphids that take no prisoners. - In an ideal world, the good bugs keep the bad bugs from doing their dirty work. But if you're in the habit of spraying your yard with one of those sweeping pesticides that kill every living thing in their wake, you're also wiping out all the good insects that help keep your garden healthy.

The WMD strategy

Unfortunately, chemical sprays offer only temporary aid. Eventually, the bugs return - and typically the bad ones are leading the way, warns Bob Albanese, an expert horticulturist with the Pinellas County Extension Service in Largo.

"When you blanket-spray, you are getting rid of all the good guys, and 99.9 percent of all insects in your yard are harmless. Then the first guys you get back are the bad guys," says Albanese.

There are other, more effective, long-term and eco-friendly strategies for eliminating pests in the landscape and attracting beneficial bugs. One approach is called "biological insect control." In the old days, that meant growing a variety of plants that attract a great variety of insects.

Draft natural enemies

In today's got-to-have-it-now world, there's an alternative: Purchase and release natural predators into your yard.

Many companies sell packaged bugs; there's a wide variety of beneficial insects to choose from, including a nematode patented by the University of Florida. When introduced in soil, this microscopic good guy attacks and kills mole crickets before they have a chance to damage turf grasses. Five-million of the microscopic bugs will treat up to 150 square feet ($17.95): available from Gardens Alive (www.GardensAlive.com or (513) 354-1482).

The most popular good bugs ordered by Florida gardeners from the Beneficial Insect Co. in Glendale Springs, N.C., are parasitic nematodes, ladybugs and praying mantis eggs, says company owner Jim Kluttz. He says his customers are looking for an organic alternative to pesticides.

"Once you start using those chemicals, you get on a chemical treadmill that you can't get off," Kluttz says. "Oftentimes when you are using a pesticide, it works at first and then it stops working. Experts say you have to rotate the poisons. It's just a mess."

Kluttz says adult ladybugs and their larvae ($82 per gallon, approximately 72,000 bugs) feed on aphids, consuming up to 5,000 of the pests during their one-year lifetime. They also have an appetite for mites and other soft-bodied insects. Lacewing larvae ($36 per thousand) also feed on aphids and mites, killing up to 600 in a month. The praying mantis (about 1,000 for $12) eats a smorgasbord of bugs, including mosquitoes and flies. Using its large front legs to clutch its prey, it devours spiders, moths, grasshoppers and beetles.

Underground, beneficial nematodes, which are watered into the soil, prey on pests that live or develop in the soil, including grubs, fleas, weevils, borers, thrips and maggots. The microscopic predators are sold by the million ($22), which can treat a 2,000-square-foot area.

Most purchased bugs should be released late in the day or at night to keep them from flying away or from damage caused by sunlight. Kluttz admits there's no guarantee that your purchased bugs will stay in your yard, but providing a friendly environment (a variety of blooming plants and a water source) will help. For information, visit www.thebeneficialinsectco.com or call (336) 973-8490.

Albanese, the Pinellas horticulturist, insists that good gardening practices will encourage a healthy balance of insects in the yard and that home gardeners shouldn't rely solely on a quick-fix insect release. "It's better to have an environmentally friendly yard so you have your own natural predators there," he said. Purchasing bugs "is certainly an accepted method of control, but make sure you are buying native insects that won't get out of control."

Before the bug-buy

Before you buy beneficial insects, Albanese recommends inspecting your plants, especially the undersides of leaves where many pests attack, for signs of problem insects. Nematode damage will appear at the roots, which will look gnarled and brown. If you're unsure, take a sample to your county extension service for a free diagnosis.

Homeowners aren't the only ones turning to good bugs for help. Last month a large apartment complex in New York City made national news when it released more than 700,000 ladybugs purchased from Planet Natural (www.planetnatural.com or toll-free 1-800-289-6656) into its landscaped property.

Albanese likes the concept of good bugs instead of pesticides, but he's still a bit skeptical about the purchase and release method that offers no guarantee that the bugs will stay put. "Have you ever tried to get a ladybug to stay on your hand?" he asks.

Yvonne Swanson is a freelance writer in St. Petersburg and a master gardener for Pinellas County.

[Last modified November 8, 2007, 18:21:16]