By Kathy Smith, Clay County Master Gardener Volunteer

Being blessed with all this rain creates lush growth and all those critters who savor the bounty.  I’ve had a long career in vegetable Integrated Pest Management (IPM) agriculture, which is a sustainable approach to managing pests to minimize risks to people and the environment.  It’s a science-based process that utilizes pest biology and ecology to employ a range of control methods, including cultural, biological, mechanical, and pesticide-based approaches.  So here are a few tips.

• Educate yourself about the insects, both beneficial and nefarious, that inhabit our Western North Carolina gardens. Know which pests will do damage to your particular crop.  Some are primary and others secondary.  NC State Extension has numerous publications and online information available for free.
• Scout for insects on daily visits to the garden, starting when plants are young. Look carefully at the underside of leaves where most are found.  Remember to think small.  For instance, a tomato hornworm will be about 1/8 inch long when the egg hatches, only to mature to 3 inches in 2 1/2 weeks of non-stop feeding on your plant!
• Removing pests by hand is an easy process. Be willing to accept some insect levels.
• Row covers and companion plants may ease insect damage.
• When insects reach crop-damaging levels, consider a treatment application in early evening when bees are not foraging. Be sure coverage extends to the underside of leaves.
• Natural, contact-type insecticides like Neem, soaps, oils, BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis), Spinosad, diatomaceous earth, and pyrethrum are a few of the organic product examples. They work well on immature insects and are less harmful to beneficials and bees.
• There are many beneficial insects without whom we would have no vegetables, flowers, or honey. Synthetic-made contact insecticides like Sevin, pyrethroid products, and others kill insects and are especially hard on these good guys.  I only consider using one of them if a serious insect problem arises, as a clean-up material only.  Overuse of synthetic pesticides also promotes insect resistance.
• Understand that if you are buying a garden product stating “season-long protection,” it’s likely a systemic material in the neonicotinoid group. Yes, these products are convenient and do provide long-duration control; however, they are a real danger to bees.  Learn about the products’ uses and compare them to any of the products I’ve mentioned before you make your decision to use them.

Using an IPM approach to pest management has been proven throughout commercial agriculture.  Home gardeners can also apply this method to become good bug stewards.  All it takes is the willingness to educate yourself and make conscientious decisions regarding the friendly insects around us.  If you apply this method, you will be amazed at the number of bees and beneficial insects present in your garden, lending a helping hand to you!