Bugs in the Garden

Spring is here and some pesky bugs have made an appearance in my garden. They’re not a problem yet but I’m starting to see their effects.

I cut a head of broccoli from the garden last night for supper. When I cleaned it, I found three cabbage worms – those small, bright green caterpillars about an inch long. I don’t consider that an infestation.

If it was covered with cabbage worms, I would consider spraying my brassica crops with Bacillus thuringiensis, known as Bt. This organic pesticide targets mostly caterpillars. It’s a bacteria that makes them sick and eventually kills them. But it doesn’t harm other beneficial insects. However, I still shy away from using Bt too often, since some caterpillars become butterflies, which are important pollinators.

For now, I’m going to focus on hand-picking and squishing any caterpillars I see in the garden.

I’ve also noticed quite a few squash bugs in my zucchini patch. These bugs are more difficult to control with organic sprays. I don’t know of any organic pesticide that kills the adults. There are some products that kill the nymphs and larvae, such as Spinosad. The brand I use is called Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew. Spinosad is a bacteria like BT, but it targets a wide variety of insects, including squash bugs and leaf-footed bugs, but also beneficial ones like lady bugs. I use it sparingly and only spray plants that are infested with nymphs or larvae.

By the time these bugs become adults, I resort to picking them and squishing them by hand. Squash bugs are similar to stink bugs. When you squish them, they exude a unique smell that some people find repulsive. Instead of squishing them, you can drop them in a cup with some soapy water to kill them.

I recently noticed a bunch of small flying bugs attacking my young basil plants. I’m not sure what they are because they move so fast and fly away. But they appear to be some sort of soft-bodied insect. For bugs like this, and also for aphids, I like to use horticultural oil. This product does not harm most bugs with thick, hard exoskeletons. But for soft-bodied bugs, it coats their bodies and suffocates them.

Whatever you do, I beg you, do not use dust or sprays that use the chemical Carbryl as the active ingredient. Sevin dust is one such product. I’ve read that Sevin recently removed Carbryl in their product and replaced it with Bifenthin. Both of these chemicals, however, are extremely lethal to bees, lady bugs, and other beneficial insects.