What’s Bugging You?
Bugs. Can’t live with them; can’t live without them. Maybe you think, “What good are they?” It has been said that if ever humans go extinct at some point in time, bugs will still populate this planet.
Stink bugs are invading this area slowly but surely. They crawl into warm places like attics or sheds and overwinter. When spring hits, they are back outside and can be found nibbling on your veggies. Large colonies can ruin crops and cost tons of money to eradicate them. Spraying is not always the easy solution because they have a waxy coat that repels toxic chemicals. From what I read, homeowners are cautioned not to smash them. When they are crushed, they emit a stinky smell which lingers. Yes, I have smelled it and yes, it stinks. Soapy water with vinegar is advised to drown them in either a wet vac or pail. At night, they are attracted to light. I found a bunch trying to get in my backdoor screen when I left the nightlight on there. It is best to turn off lights at night if you find bugs are heading to your home for shelter.
Some bugs can survive being flushed down toilets, cockroaches for example. They can survive submerged in water for up to 40 minutes and can end up in the sewer system alive. They are often dwelling in bathrooms; they eat soap and human cells that flake off after a shower. Hey, food is food. Spiders can live up to one hour in water.
It is easy to capture a bug in a cup if you don’t want to kill it. If there is a wasp or spider, I get a plastic cup, place it over them quickly (no hesitating because they can see you coming!), and then slide a piece of cardboard under the cup to keep the bug trapped, take it outside and place it gently on the ground and leave. Will it come back? Maybe, and so will its future generations. Vacuuming bugs is one way to gather up a bunch at once. If you empty the vacuum outside, many bugs can still be alive and just crawl out of the dust.
Ants are another pest invading our kitchens in search of food. We left our honey jar on the kitchen counter. That activity stopped when we found a spoonful of honey that we stirred into a hot cup of tea containing hundreds of dead ants. Gag me with a spoon! They apparently got into the jar under the screw lid and then drowned in the ecstasy of sweetness. Salt will attract them, too. I use Borax laundry powder along my windowsill if I notice ants marching inside. It stops them. You can use honey mixed with borax to bait them, but I’d rather not invite them inside at all. Bugs that eat borax get dehydrated and die. Easy fix but keep animals away from the powder as it can cause gastric issues and kidney damage to pets. Kids shouldn’t be tasting borax or any laundry detergent for that matter.
Asian Lady Beetles are a big nuisance and some folks can develop an allergy to them. When crushed, they emit a distinct odor and an orange staining liquid as a defense reaction.
They come inside in droves and can be found covering entire walls at times. Even newly built homes have enough tiny cracks around windows and doors to allow bugs to get inside. Once we had a ceiling light start to smoke for no reason. We turned off the electric power to it, removed the dome, and found a bunch of incinerated lady beetles. They had crawled in through attic vents and got in under the floorboards. The warmth of the lit bulb attracted them but also burned them up. Foggers and bug bombs are not recommended because the bugs are deep inside walls and insecticides will not reach them. Note: Dead bugs inside walls attract other bugs to come and eat them.
Oh boy, are we stuck with all these creepy crawlers? Remember I said that we humans can’t live without them? Contemplate this. Bees are necessary for pollination. Some vegetables, fruit trees, and flowers need bees to gather nectar and pollen. When a bee goes from one flower to the next it is spreading pollen which “pollinates” the plant. Butterflies do the same thing. Large crops of watermelons and cucumbers, for example, could never be hand pollinated by a human; bugs do the job! Bugs are also decomposers of just about anything, fallen leaves and live leaves, other bugs, dead animals or live animals, dead bodies or live ones. Bugs can live in the ground, in your house, in your bed, even in your hair. But let’s not go there.
Back to the pros of insects. Your garden thrives when it has a healthy balance of insects, those that eat the eggs of harmful insects, for example. Predator bugs such as praying mantis eat all kinds of bugs including butterflies. They can be safe to handle if you have that urge. Ladybugs eat other bugs and can consume up to 40 aphids per hour. Garden supply shops sell ladybugs for your garden to help control other pesky insects. Spiders, like the locally common wolf spider may, scare you with its size and its ability to jump, are relatively harmless to humans but deadly to other bugs. They rarely bite humans and are not poisonous. Take these little guys outside in a jar if you see one in the house; don’t kill them!
In my garden I attract good and bad bugs by leaving weedy patches here and there. Remember: the bugs have to eat something. If you take out every last weed leaving only veggies, guess what’s for dinner? Being organic and chemical free, I resort to hand removing harmful bugs, such as the potato beetle. A cup of vinegar water nearby as a depository is easy enough to drop them into.
Insecticide resistance occurs when insects are exposed to insecticides and develop a tolerance to them. Succeeding generations carry the genes to survive, too. You know the old saying from Friedrich Nietzsche, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Spray as a last resort and remember that toxic chemicals that kill bugs are a biocide. Biocides such as pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are substances that destroy living things. Try using natural methods whenever possible!
(Karen Cohen grows vegetables, herbs, and flowers and writes about gardening ideas and her experiences. If you would like to leave a comment or gardening tip, please email natureswaykaren@gmail.com. Happy gardening!)
