Trent McNair
An integrated pest management system (IPM) isn’t just reserved for the big organic farmer. Having one in your own backyard (even inside your home) is easier than you think. Some systems make use of synthetic pesticides in their IPM, but I’m really just going to talk about organic methods.
I like to think of my garden as an ecosystem that I am invading. Really, as humans we are disrupting an environment that has found a balance, bending it to our will. Gardeners and landscapers are exercising their mastery over the environment to create something that we
Dinner Time!
find more aesthetically pleasing, or to grow food for our families and communities. This manipulation has gone on for over 20,000 years and is the backbone of modern civilization—without it we would never have had empires that could sustain themselves over the millenia.
So, what did we do 1,000 years ago? There was no Monsanto to head out and spray herbicides and pesticides back then. How did farms feed millions?
I have a small area on the globe where I enjoy a very mild Mediterranean climate here in Aptos, CA. Average temperatures are about 70F.  This allows me to grow a very wide range of plants and veggies for an extended (practically year round) season. But in order for me to be successful, I need to understand and respect the insects and fauna of my locale. I also need to have an understanding of local native plant species. Why? For one, these are the native species’ homes, and they thrive in them. Exotic plant species are likely to become a susceptible target to their feeding patterns, often without the built in resistances or defense mechanisms to fight them off. Predatory bugs (assassin bugs, damsel bugs and the minute pirate bug) need a home, so having a wide diversity of plants in your garden will encourage this. One thing I always ask myself:
Where does this plant call home, and what are it’s natural enemies there? What environmental conditions does it like best? Can I emulate those here, so it doesn’t stress and become ill at ease and a weakened target for disease and insect attack?
Heres a simple checklist that I like to follow as well.
- Allow hedgerows of native plants to exist at the borders of your garden
- Grow flowers and herbs within your vegetable garden
- Create a wide diversity
- If you get a particularly nasty infestation, remove the affected plant and take it far from your garden to dispose of it
- Thoroughly inspect plants you purchase before bringing them home – they often travel far and hitchhikers may be unwanted
- Grow ‘host’ plants that encourage predator insects to make a home
I also on occasion purchase insects. There is a wonderful site online called Nature’s Control that will give you great information as well as quick shipment of predatory insects. ‘Hiring’ bugs is always a great way to avoid spraying harmful poisons.
