Home of "Gardening with Bugs" and "Spencer Brewing".
You're a home gardener and the cost of of buying; the labour of applying; and the difficulty in sourcing beneficial insects seems - all together - like a mountain to climb. You're not alone. And while it is my goal to make beneficial insects better understood and more readily available to you, this is still... Continue Reading →
How to control aphids. Everything you need to know about their lifecycle, habits, and predators.
Never buy Lady Bugs!! Seriously. For those of us who know ‘bugs’, and know biological pest control, there is only one reason for commercially available, lab-produced ladybugs: They are the “gateway bug;” An insect that people regularly see, generally like, and view as the poster-icon for beneficial insects. If shopping for “ladybugs” and even applying... Continue Reading →
Fruit Tree Pest Control Pests in trees usually come and go. Seldom will a tree die from regular pest pressure. When they do, there is a reason: An introduced pest with no natural enemies, or a stressed tree suffering from something else. In fact, when someone has shown me a tree dying of a normal... Continue Reading →
Eupeodes americanus is a hoverfly species with a range from Alaska to Mexico - and maybe beyond and even in Europe. Hoverflies are often mistook for bees - or so I hear. They do have yellow/black or white/black markings, but unlike wasps or bees, they have short antenna, enormous fly-eyes, and only one pair... Continue Reading →
Harvesting early and managing summer pests
What to Grow and When Spring-Cleaning is impossible when you’re hands are in the dirt. That has been me (or at least my excuse) for a solid week now. Only a week? (You ask.) Yes, because on the weekend of March 9th I meant to work the soil (after doing a morning seminar at a... Continue Reading →
All this wet weather we’ve had has provided an opportunity for aphids to get a foothold in many local gardens - mine included. I have found black aphids on a sunflower and cabbage aphids on - well - my cabbages. As there is often a mid-summer push of aphids, I thought it was time to... Continue Reading →
How to use good bugs,
How to control aphids in your home garden No gardener exists that isn’t familiar with aphids. But few gardeners achieve effective control of these pests. I can help. Important information about aphids: Aphids do best when temperatures increase, but humidity remains high - most often in the spring. They are phloem-feeders, meaning they use mouth... Continue Reading →
