Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a modern approach to insect problems that uses least-toxic pest controls first instead of broad-spectrum chemical controls. IPM practitioners use insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, bacterial controls, good sanitation practices and beneficial predatory insects to control unwanted species. Frank Hale of the Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service explains that by knowing more about pests' life cycles, gardeners can control them when they're most vulnerable and use fewer chemicals. For example, look for insect pests in the garden to determine when they're feeding. That's the best time of day to spray them. Arborvitae, a common landscape shrub, is susceptible to spider mites. Treatment is more successful if the gardener waits until the insects hatch. To test for infestation, place a piece of white paper under a branch, and shake it firmly. If you see mites on the paper (they look like rust-colored specks), it's time to spray. Try a horticultural oil with some insecticidal soap added for control. Or spray plants with a dormant oil in the winter, before the eggs hatch. Azaleas are susceptible to infestations of azalea lace bugs -- insects with piercing, sucking mouth parts. Dull green, lifeless-looking foliage may indicate the presence of this insect. To protect new foliage before insects attack, examine plants frequently in early spring. When you see signs of activity on the undersides of leaves, spray with horticultural oil and insecticidal soap before mature insects can lay their eggs. That way, you'll stop hungry larvae from damaging the foliage. Scale insects secrete a sweet, sticky substance called honeydew that attracts other insects and on which sooty mold grows. If you detect black sooty mold, you probably need to treat plants to rid them of scale. Juvenile scale insects can be controlled with insecticidal soap; once the insects mature, they're very difficult to get rid of. Infestations are easiest to treat before they become well established -- and in the early stages, less-toxic controls such as insecticidal soap and horticultural oil are more likely to succeed. Make a habit of walking through the garden and examining plants so that you can respond quickly to problems.
RESOURCES :
The Garderners Guide to Common-Sense Pest Control
Model: 1561581496
Author: William Olkowski and Sheila Daar
1996
GUESTS :
Dr. Frank Hale
5201 Marchant Dr.
Nashville, TN 37211-5201
Phone: 615-832-6802
Fax: 615-832-0043
Email: fhale@cru.gw.utk.edu
Website: www.utextension.utk.edu
UT Agricultural Extension
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