- Thread starter
- #11
hoodat
Garden Addicted
I seldom have really bad insect problems. I do everything I can to help predators keep their numbers up. A big mistake often made is to rush out with the sprayer at the first sign of an insect attack. Predators are harmed more than the harmful insects when sprayed because their numbers are smaller.
When I get insects attacking my plants the first thing I look for is to see if predators are present.. If they are they will probably handle it with little or no help from me. If there are only a few predators I will sometimes sacrifice a crop to let them build up so the harmful insects will be better controlled in the next crop.
It's a constant cycle. First the harmful insects attack a crop, followed by increasing numbers of predators till there are few harmful insects left. At that point the number of predators begins to decline for lack of prey; then the harmful ones return and the cycle starts all over again. If the cycle is interrupted (say by spraying) the harmfull insects recover before the predators do so you have only made the problem worse.
The only exception is an exotic insect like the bagrada bug that is attacking cole crops in California and Arizona right now. They were accidentally imported in some crop from Asia or Africa where they are native and the predators that control them did not come along with them. Either the Agriculture department will bring in their predators or the native ones that are already here will learn to attack them. Until then, we are stuck with spot spraying to control them.
When I get insects attacking my plants the first thing I look for is to see if predators are present.. If they are they will probably handle it with little or no help from me. If there are only a few predators I will sometimes sacrifice a crop to let them build up so the harmful insects will be better controlled in the next crop.
It's a constant cycle. First the harmful insects attack a crop, followed by increasing numbers of predators till there are few harmful insects left. At that point the number of predators begins to decline for lack of prey; then the harmful ones return and the cycle starts all over again. If the cycle is interrupted (say by spraying) the harmfull insects recover before the predators do so you have only made the problem worse.
The only exception is an exotic insect like the bagrada bug that is attacking cole crops in California and Arizona right now. They were accidentally imported in some crop from Asia or Africa where they are native and the predators that control them did not come along with them. Either the Agriculture department will bring in their predators or the native ones that are already here will learn to attack them. Until then, we are stuck with spot spraying to control them.
