If you have a garden of any kind, you have insects inhabiting it.

They’re actually part of a healthy garden ecology. From a gardener’s point of view, insects fall into two categories: good guys and bad guys.

The good guys are the pollinators like bees, pretty butterflies and fairylike moths, plus the insect-eating predators that eat the bad guys. The bad guys are often the larvae of the pretty things, like caterpillars and corn earworms that spoil flowers, chew roots and disfigure plants.

In Ma Nature’s point of view, there are no good or bad guys, just her insect children doing their respective duties. She’s set it up so the insect eaters keep the plant eaters in check, and the plant eaters make enough of a living to provide food for the insect eaters. It’s a balance, and one that gardeners can support and enhance.

The chief way to support a healthy balance of insect life in the garden is to put away the broad-spectrum insecticides and toxic agricultural chemicals.

Why? Nature’s rule No. 1: The more diverse the insect life in the garden, the healthier the garden is.

More diversity means there are more players that enhance the balance, and that means no one kind of insect “breaks out” and causes a harmful infestation.

Using toxic insecticides to wipe out insect life in the garden selects for the insects that like to eat and destroy your plants. After all, if all the insects are killed off, it won’t be long before insects return.

The first ones back will be the kind that like to eat your plants, because there’s plenty of food for them. Only when these plant-eaters build up enough population will the beneficial insects, the kind that eat the plant-eaters return. It can take several seasons before the balance is reestablished.

When powerful insecticides are applied to a garden, only those insects that are resistant to the insecticide survive. These breed generations that also have resistance to the chemical, so you end up with a garden full of plant eaters that aren’t killed off by your insecticide.

Finally, spreading toxic agricultural chemicals in your garden may be dangerous to you, too. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the weedkiller most widely used around the world.

There have been numerous lawsuits and widespread efforts to ban herbicides containing glyphosate, believed to be carcinogenic. Monsanto, which makes Roundup, has fought the state of California’s efforts to put warning labels on the product. And the EPA in 2020 during the Trump Administration took the position that it is not harmful to humans, leading to a lawsuit by environmental and farm worker groups accusing the agency of neglecting to adequately assess the herbicide’s risks. Meanwhile Bayer, the parent company to Monsanto, facing billions of dollars in potential liability to cancer victims, has said it will replace glyphosate with a new active ingredient in 2023. But other products will remain on the market unless the regulatory EPA changes its mind.

Rather than trying to unpack the arguments, why not take the easier and safer road and thwart garden pests with more natural weaponry?

Focusing on pest insects, here’s a rundown of 10 of the most common pests and nontoxic ways to deal with them.

Aphids: These little bugs feed on plant juices in late spring and early summer. Ladybugs, lacewings and other predators like the sweet, sticky substance aphids produce and keep them in check. Wash aphids off plants with a strong jet of water from a hose.

Thrips: Very tiny yellow-to-brown insects cluster on leaves and suck leaf cell contents, leaving silvery streaks and dead areas. When plants are dormant, spray them with dormant oil. During growing season, use neem extract — a nontoxic repellent.

Leaf miners: These insects burrow inside leaf cells, leaving hollow trails that wind through the leaves. Their natural enemies usually keep them in check, but if infestation is bad, Spinosad can be effective. This treatment is derived from a nontoxic soil microorganism.

Spider mites: These tiny mites make fine webs and damage leaves. They like hot, dry conditions. Control with Safer soap and neem oil repellent.

Scale: Little white lumps of waxy material harbor scale insects that damage and destroy leaves. Neem oil and Safer soap are effective controls.

White fly: Large numbers of little white flies can build up quickly in warm weather and devastate plants. Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap in 1 gallon of water and spray it on affected plant leaves, on top and underneath.

Cut worms: These moth larvae curl into a C shape when disturbed. They work at night, cutting down seedlings. Spread diatomaceous earth around seedlings to act as a barrier.

Mealy bugs: These insects suck plant juices from underneath their cottony protective coverings, leaving dead and yellowing leaf tissue. They often come in as hitchhikers on plants sold at garden centers, so check your selections carefully. To control them, mix 1 cup of rubbing alcohol with 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap and 1 quart of water and thoroughly spray every part of affected plants.

Corn earworms: These are the caterpillars you discover eating your corn when you pull down the husks. When the corn silk begins to dry, spray a solution containing Bacillus thuringiensis into the tips of the ears. It’s a naturally occurring caterpillar disease, but harmless to other creatures, including us.

Squash bugs: The adults are brownish-black, flat-backed, half-inch bugs covered with fine dark hairs. Their eggs are yellow to brown and found in masses on the undersides of leaves. Adults and immature nymphs attack summer and winter squashes and pumpkins. Check undersides of leaves and remove egg masses, or cover plants with floating row covers that allow water and sunlight in, but keep insects out.

Finally, one of the best insect controls is to rake up and dispose of all spent plant material in the edible or ornamental garden. Dry plant matter left on the ground provides safe harbor for a very large number of pest insects. Raking also allows birds to peck out insects and their eggs that were buried by debris. Complete raking by Thanksgiving. If you’re mulching the soil for winter, use well-rotted compost.

Jeff Cox is a Kenwood-based food and garden writer. Reach him at jeffcox@sonic.net.

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