At one time, gardeners panicked at the first sign of an insect in their home gardens and broke out the insecticides.However, today's gardeners are more ecologically aware than they were in the past.
 
Now gardeners use environmentally friendly ways to deal with insects, and they use pesticides sparingly and cautiously, according to Randy Griffin, Clemson Extension entomologist.
 
"An insecticide is the last line of defense," Griffin said. "The gardener has a long list of weapons in his or her arsenal to use first."

Following are several non-chemical means of pest control Griffin recommends.

Start with a healthy plant. This is the most basic step for insect control, according to Griffin. A plant that isn't stressed by drought, low fertility or other problems will not be as attractive to insects, and it will outgrow much of the damage pests can cause.

Select good transplants. Inspect plants carefully before you buy them. Look carefully under the leaves; put anything with insects on it back on the shelf.

Whiteflies, mites, aphids, and leafminers often overwinter in the greenhouse and can easily hitch a ride to your garden on transplants. So, shop with reputable dealers and be wary of discounted seeds or plants.

Plant early enough to get a crop in before insect levels begin building in the summer and peak in the fall.

Once insects appear, Griffin suggests these control strategies before bringing chemicals into play:

     * Handpick and destroy early season insects like Colorado potato beetle.

     * Use traps. Commercial traps can help with Japanese beetles, but homemade traps can be effective, too. If you put an 18-inch square piece of an old shingle or cardboard under squash plants, squash bugs will congregate under it for protection from the heat
of the day. Lift the board and smash them with a hoe. Mulching squash only gives bugs a place to hide.

     * Bacillus thuringiensis, a biological control for caterpillars, is especially effective on cole crops. It is non-toxic to everything else and is readily available at most garden centers.

     * Insecticidal soaps like M-Pede are good for controlling soft-bodied pests like aphids and mites.

     * Avoiding pesticides will help protect beneficial insects such as tiny parasitic wasps that lay eggs inside larvae and the predators that eat small worms and insect eggs, like assassin bugs, pirate bugs, big-eyed bugs, damsel bugs, ladybugs and
spiders.

     * Since flowers tend to attract beneficial insects, plant a few among the vegetables.

     * Plant more than you need. Let the insects eat some, and you eat the rest.

Griffin suggests scouting the garden every day or two to spot problems early. If you find a problem that is just developing, it is easier to take care of, he said.

"If you come to the point that you need to use an insecticide, use spot treatments," Griffin said. "Treat only the plant or the row that has the problem; don't treat the whole garden, because then you would wipe out the beneficials."

Clemson Extension has a garden field guide that can help you identify insect problems: IC 132, The Vegetable Garden Insect Guide. It contains color pictures of insects with suggestions for non-chemical control. For a copy, contact your county's Clemson
Extension office, order online with Visa or Mastercard at http://cufan.clemson.edu/olos/ or send a check or money order made out to Clemson University for $8.50 to the Bulletin Room, 96 Poole Agricultural Center, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.
29634-0129.

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