For the home

gardener who is used to pesticides that kill everything and anything they

are sprayed on, this will mark a huge change. Diazinon and chloropyrifos

are used to kill lawn and garden pests. But they also kill birds, bees,

butterflies and hundreds of other beneficial insects. Gardeners will need

to become much more knowledgeable about pests and pest controls.

"Organic

gardening is becoming mainstream and an increasing number of gardeners

are looking for answers to all their questions," said Will Raap,

founder and chairman of Gardener's Supply, known since 1983 for its earth-friendly

gardening solutions.

"When

you discover a problem in your garden, you need to know what pest or disease

is causing it so you can determine the least toxic, yet effective solution,"

continued Raap. "To help gardeners identify garden pests, Gardener's

Supply is offering a new web feature called "Bug Mugs."

Bug Mugs was

created in collaboration with the National Gardening Association. It has

color photographs, detailed descriptions and earth-friendly control recommendations

for more than 50 different insects and diseases.

In the garden,

the two most common types of insect pests are sucking and chewing insects.

Bug Mugs helps gardeners understand the differences between these pests,

and their feeding and reproduction cycles.

Sucking insects

include aphids, leafhoppers and harlequin bugs. These pests insert their

long mouth parts into plants and suck out the juices. As they feed, some

of these insects can also transmit plant viruses. Typical signs of sucking

damage include a weakening of the plant; yellowed, brown or wilted leaves;

and a sticky substance or sooty black mold covering the leaves (this is

especially common with aphids). Unlike most insect pests, the sucking

insects look like adults as soon as they hatch from the egg.

The chewing

insect group includes caterpillars and beetle larvae, such as the Colorado

potato beetle, cabbage worms and tomato hornworms. They are voracious

feeders that tear and mash plant tissue, nibbling on leaf margins or making

holes through leaves, and they are capable of completely defoliating a

plant.

Most chewing

insects go through a complete metamorphosis, from eggs to larvae to pupae

to adults, changing appearance at each stage. Different insects cause

damage at different points in this cycle, sometimes in more than one stage.

The Colorado potato beetle, for example, is destructive as a grub and

as an adult.

In general,

insects are easiest to control during the egg stage by simply removing

or crushing the eggs, which are often deposited on the underside of leaves.

Since many insects reproduce more than once during a season, you should

keep your eyes open for eggs all summer long. Larvae and nymphs often

overwinter in the soil or in plant debris, so garden cleanup in the fall

is an important part of prevention.

Once you know

what pest is in your garden, here are some products from Gardener's Supply

that can help get rid of them.

Organicide,

created by an organic farmer in Florida, is easy to use and controls spider

mites, fungus gnats, scale, mealy bugs, whiteflies and aphids. It works

on different stages of insect development including eggs, larvae and soft-bodied

adult insects. It's even effective against fungal diseases like powdery

mildew and black spot.

Another natural

insecticide that that works at every stage of a bug's growth is Naturalis

H&G. It controls aphids, ants, army-worms, white grubs, caterpillars,

white flies and many other pests. This can also be used a perimeter spray

around the house for ants.

If you live

in the South, grasshoppers may be the most destructive pest, since they'll

eat anything green, from grass to irises, hostas to roses. The Nolo Grasshopper

Control is a biological insecticide that kills 58 different species of

grasshopper and locusts. It takes three to six weeks to reach maximum

effectiveness and it often remains active for years.

Garden Dust

contains a balanced formula of pyrethrin, rotenone, sulfur and copper

to control a wide array of pests including aphids, asaparagus beetles,

cabbage worms, striped cucumber beetles, bean beetles, Japanese beetles,

leaf rollers, squash bug nymphs, stink bugs and more.

Colorado Potato

Beetle Beater is a beneficial bacteria (Bt 'San Diego') that controls

potato beetle larvae, plus elm leaf beetle larvae and adults. After eating

sprayed foliage, the insects stop feeding and die.

Catch-Can with

Bait has out-performed any other trap for Japanese Beetles in Gardener's

Supply test gardens. The reusable plastic canister holds up to 400 beetles,

and is vented to prevent odors. Its double bait system (a floral and sex

lure) attracts up to five times as many beetles as a single bait trap.

It's easy to

put a stop to slimy slugs with the Slug-X Trap, Slug & Snail Traps

and barrier Slug Stop. For a decorative way to stop slugs, try the Gardener's

Supply exclusive Snail Slug Trap, an attractive ceramic snail that captures

slugs by luring them with stale beer.

To learn more

about controlling garden pests without toxic pesticides, visit the Gardening

Info section at www.gardeners.com or call (800) 955-3370 for a

free Better Gardening Bulletin - Natural Pest and Disease Control.

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