Pest Management for the Home and Garden

What is IPM - Integrated Pest Management ? 

Most times the idea of a pest is a bug that is not wanted -  the ants that invade our kitchens, or the flies that speckle the windows. However, the broad meaning of pest can include, insects, weeds, and diseases.
Integrated Pest Management is the application of the decisions we make to determine the steps we will take to insure the pests are less intrusive. The options are Prevention, Suppression, and Eradication.
Varying degrees of intrusion can indeed be problematic, but some pests are just doing what pests do, -eat, procreate, and die.



Pest Management can be classified into four categories – 1) biological controls, 2) chemical controls, 3) cultural controls, and 4) legal controls.  Chemical pesticides are not my remedy of choice, so my focus will feature biological and cultural control methods.

The Biological Controls methods are divided into three approaches, - 1) classical, 2) augmentation, and 3) natural.  Classical biological approach is to find and use a natural enemy of the pest.  If a pest has been imported, either on purpose or accidentally to an area, the idea is to go to the area of origin and find out what kept the pest in check.

 Augmentation methods are to release large quantities of natural enemies.
These cocoons are praying mantis.
Since these insects are mobile, the release in your garden does not guarantee they will stay to chow down your pests.

Other biological controls are available in the marketplace and are natural.   Bt (Bacillus theringiensis) is a toxin to many caterpillars.  The solution is sprayed on foliage and kills the eating caterpillars within a few days. This Bt is effective on bag worms found on evergreens.



Milky Spore is another bacteria that is put into lawns.  Larvae of Japanese Beetles, the white grub, consume this substance when they are eating roots of turf.
   
 
Cultural Controls for pest are available, but the success of them takes some planning.
 
1)  Use plants that have a natural pest resistance.  Native plants have overcome many of the diseases and insects in the area.  This survival has inbred this immunity into many wonderful plants that pests just don’t like.
2)  Choose plants appropriate to your hardiness zone.  This past year the hardiness maps have been redrawn, and many of our areas have changed. Plant hardiness insures less stress from unfamiliar temperatures. Less stress, the better able for your plant to withstand insect and disease damage.

3) Plant in the right place. Consider shade, soil fertility, pH, and drainage before you choose a plant.  Again, the less stress the healthier your garden.

4) Choose healthy plants from the garden center.   Check the soil in the container.  Is it loose, moist?  Gently pull root ball from container – are the roots full and white, or are they dry and brown?  Do the leaves have insect holes, or are the leaves dry, brittle, or yellow?  Only take home good quality plants.  If you buy from a catalog, apply the same standards and send poor looking plants back.

Roots are white, but need to be loosened, gently before planting.

These tomato leaves are suffering. They are curled and pale.  Leave this plant at the garden center.
 

Integrated Pest Management or IPM decisions are not difficult if you know your garden and plan for the fact that pests are out there.  How radical of a response you give the pests can depend on several things.  1) Can I live with this?  2) Can the plant live with this?  And 3) is the remedy worse than the problem?

What boundaries have you placed on pests in your garden?

Japanese Beetles

I don't know about you, but I'm really inundated with Japanese Beetles this season. According to Ohio State Extension publications, Japanese Beetles usually appear in late June.  I've had then since June 9 and I have not had a rose since.

  

I got some tips for controlling Japanese Beetles from the Ohio State Bulletin. But I must say, I'm not encouraged.  Here is why:   The adult female eats, mates, and drops to the ground to lay 1 - 5 eggs in the soil.  Then she reemerges to (guess what!) she eats and mates and drops to the soil to do it all again!  The little lady can deposit 40 - 60 eggs during this time. 

All of this eating can skeletonize leaves and devour complete buds as on this Rose-Of-Sharon.

Japanese Beetle love to eat roses, Linden and Hawthorne trees, and - get this - 300 other plants are on their menu.

To control Japanese Beetles, we need to understand the life cycle of this abundant and important landscape pest.  The adult female deposits her eggs in the soil. The eggs hatch and molt within 8 -14 days.  This is the first instar of the larval state.  The second instar molts in another 7-25 days, and matures within the next 45 days.  The third instar matures in late September.  And by October, the larvae goes deep into the soil to overwinter.

During the second and third instar is when the 'white grub' feeds.  The roots of plants and organic material in the soil are food of choice.  Turf grass roots are particularly susceptible to this guys.

So, how do we protect out gardens, trees, and lawns from this costly damage?

Suggestion 1 - Hand pick off adult beetles when they first appear.  This will discourage them from emitting a pheromone to attract others.  Without partners, there is no mating; no mating no eggs;, no eggs, no larvae to eat your lawn, and no larvae to overwinter for the spring emergence of new adult Japanese Beetles.

Suggestion 2 - Plant Non-Attractive Plants

Suggestion 3 - Use Traps - The bags will lure Japanese Beetles to them.  The bugs get in but can not get out.  The down side to me is 'they lure Japanese Beetles'.  This method can only be effective if the whole neighborhood participates. 




Suggestion 4 - And for those of you who know me this is a tough one for me to promote - Chemical spraying.  Products like Sevin or Orthene will kill.  Repeat spray every 7 - 10 days. (Remember, the females may be reemerging from laying eggs in the soil and missed the initial application!).

Neem oil sprays have good results too.  They, again, need to be repeated every 7 - 10  days.

The Neem oil also will benefit your plants by controlling fungus disease, like black spot.

Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub is a systemic product which means it works in the plant, up through the roots and into the limbs and leaves.  To be effective, Bayer Advanced needs to be applied at least 20 days prior to the expected arrival of the Japanese Beetles.



Lawn products that have shown good results on white grubs have the ingrediant ' Merit'.  These can be applied as early as June and July for the residual in the soil will last. 



Two other controls I'm familiar with are organic options.  One is St. Gabriel Labs, Milky Spore.  I applied this product in 4' grid to lawns and flower beds.  The product is eaten by the grubs and as they die this natural bacteria is spread into the soil.  Subsequent years the effectiveness is spread throughout the yard for even better control.

The other organic solution is to apply beneficial nematodes.  These microscopic organisms invade the white grubs and kill them.  This needs to be applied when the grubs are active - August - to be effective.  With an easy hose-end sprayer, this is the easiest for me.

Skeletonized Linden Tree leaves on my driveway.

So, I've had enough of these creatures.  Bring out the arsenal!  And Hope!  Next year has got to be better.

Check out fellow blogger, Carol Cichorski's article of July 5, 2012, on Japanese Beetles at her site Oh What a Beautiful Garden - Chicagoland.