By B.J. Jarvis
Pasco Cooperative Extension Horticulture Agent
Florida’s fabulous weather offers a wonderful environment for snowbirds, spring breakers and garden bugs.
While there seems to be a new bug problem every day, there are only a few found in large numbers on a wide variety of plants. Thankfully, there are some pretty straight forward, environmentally-friendly ways to reduce their numbers
Aphids, scale, whitefly and spider mites (ok, these are more closely related to spiders, just bear with me) are three of the most widespread of garden bugs. Catch the population explosion early by scouting in the garden on a regular basis. Early detection makes pest management much easier. Be sure to check under the leaves too. Many are overlooked while hiding under leaves.
Once insects are discovered, start with the lowest intervention possible. Simple steps like squishing, shooting them with a strong jet from a garden hose or knocking pests into a can of soapy water are all very Florida-friendly ways to reduce pest populations.
If a more toxic approach is necessary, step up then to an insecticidal soap. Several are available through retail garden centers or you can find a free, make-at-home recipe at the Pasco Extension Web site, pasco.ifas.ufl.edu/gardening/. Horticulture or dormant oils such as Superfine, Volck and many others are also highly effective in controlling spring outbreaks. Just be certain not to use them when the temperatures are really high in the summer. The oils can cause leaf burn much like sunburn on our unprotected skin.
A lesser known but equally effective product is neem oil from the tropical neem tree. It serves as an insecticide, miticide (killing all sorts of mites) and fungicide (keeping fungus at bay). This tree sap really packs a wallop on many, but not all, garden pests and serves double duty on other garden challenges. For those who want to use environmentally-friendly products this is definitely one to check out in either concentrate or ready to use formulations.
Remember that only about 1 percent of all insects are detrimental to people, their crops or gardens. No need to blast every insect out there. In fact, there are actually many that are predatory, helping to keep the pest populations in check naturally. Ladybugs, for example, are voracious aphid eaters. Indiscriminant pesticide applications will reduce or eliminate the good bugs as well as those causing damage.
Unwise use of pesticides can harm people, pets, beneficial organisms and the environment. To manage yard pests responsibly, closely monitor the garden, choose the right control and save the petro-chemicals as a last resort. Call or e-mail the extension office when experiencing an outbreak of insects and don’t know quite how to handle them.
– Opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer only and not that of the publisher.
B.J. Jarvis is horticulture agent and director of the Pasco Cooperative Extension Service, a part of the University of Florida and Pasco County government. She can be reached at .
