Buds and Blooms: Know your bugs inside and out

By Joyce Swaren on May 25, 2019.

Insects usually are called bugs and are the most common animal on earth. It is no wonder that we find them in our gardens, trees and in flower beds. The majority of bugs that we encounter in our daily lives are beneficial to us. Some of these good bugs pollinate our fruits and vegetables and many like the lady bugs, eat the bad bugs that are present. The ladybug is the most beloved of all insects in Canada and there is 450 species in North America. The lady bug is our Aphid Terminator! Lady bugs eat 50 aphids a day and 5,000 aphids over her lifetime. The bright colors on her shell warn the predators away. All gardeners welcome the ladybugs with open arms, knowing they will munch on the most prolific plant pests. We sell lady bugs here and lady bug houses.

Now for the other big problem. Our lawns are susceptible to the Sod Webworm. You will see your lawn full of brown dead spots that are scattered here and there and sometimes even in straight lines. There are beneficial Nematodes to control that. You mix the nematodes with water and spray the whole lawn. This eliminates having to use chemicals. You can also get your lawn off drugs by using organic fertilizers and organic soils like sea soil that feeds the soil, encourages healthy microbial activity and when the lawn is healthy it will fight off the bad bugs.

The fruit trees and ornamental trees seem to get hit by the caterpillars every year. We also have a safe product for that too! It’s called B.T.K. and it works well and is safe.

There you go. How to control the bad bugs by using the good bugs and staying chemical free.

Joyce Swaren is the owner and head horticulturalist at Blondie’s Gift and Garden.