Good Bugs Bad Bugs

Belcarra Garden Club
BC, Canada

Good Bugs, Bad Bugs

by Nora Boekhout

This monthly meeting focused on the little critters sharing our gardens with us… particularly (but not exclusively) BUGS!

photo by Les Bramley

Les started us off with impressive photos of a large Blue-eyed Darner dragonfly. Dragonflies are important predators of mosquitos and other unwanted insects!

We all noticed a sad decline in visiting butterflies this year but there were mixed views on the number of bees present. As always, we all had many unwanted insect pests to deal with! Les had been investigating the brown marmorated stink bug and had discovered some excellent information on the BC Government website regarding identification.

(photo from multiple Pinterest sources)

So… “good bugs, bad bugs” is a great topic for any gardener!

Marilyn Holt, from Buckerfields, notes that beneficial insects should consist of predators, parasitoids, and pollinators. Did you know that lacewings are one of the most beneficial predators to have around? Ladybugs are probably our best known “good bug”, and they are voracious eaters in all stages of their lives. Bees, butterflies, ground beetles and bombardier beetles, centipedes, damselflies, hoverflies, spiders, and earthworms are all in this list of “beneficial critters”.

Sometimes identification can be tricky. Don’t be fooled by the brown marmorated stink bug (bad!) who looks similar to the Spined Soldier Bug (good!) Look closely to see the rounded shoulders and white banded antennae on the bad guy!

stink bugs

photos by: Mike Quinn, Steve Valley, David Illig

Ladybugs with 26 or 28 spots are actually “bad” because they eat plants! Some nematodes may be employed to attack certain parasitic bacteria or in-soil larvae, but they can also drain plants of vital fluids! Although sowbugs (pillbugs) feed mainly on decaying organic matter, they may also feed on seedlings and young plants. While ants are generally considered a nuisance, especially when they are “grooming” aphids, they also act as nature’s garbage collectors. Earthworms, as we noted in a previous article, are of great benefit in our home gardens but unfortunately, they are having disastrous effects on our native forests. (See our article May 2022).

The real “Baddies” are numerous: aphids, apple worms, black vine beetles and chafer beetles, cabbage moths, carrot flies, cut worms, earwigs, fruit flies, fungus gnats, grasshoppers, hornworm caterpillars, leaf miners, mealy bugs, mosquitoes, slugs and snails, whiteflies, wireworms, and so much more! The Japanese Beetle is of huge concern lately, and you will notice that our neighbour, Port Coquitlam, as well as other local areas, are currently under a soil and plant restriction
What to do? Oh my! Les confided that he has a secret ally in his garden… garter snakes! Not all of us are so lucky (hmm?) but we can look to doing our best to attract the predators and being careful not to use chemicals that could harm them or our pollinators as well as our potential “victims”. Do NOT spray insecticides arbitrarily!

(photo from multiple Pinterest sources)

Safer’s BTK (Biological insecticide) was suggested by Marilyn Holt as a useful biological control. It is only for above ground insects, so is ineffective for larvae pests in the soil. It won’t hurt other things like bees or birds. You do have to do your homework, however, and make sure that the caterpillars you are trying to get rid of are not one of our precious butterflies or moths!
Better yet, is the concept of companion planting! There are many options here. Nasturtiums, chives, marigolds (for ants, wooly aphids, thrips, whiteflies), parsley (for carrot fly), lavender (for mosquitoes, nematodes), garlic (for Japanese beetle).
Homemade sprays can also be useful. Garlic is reported to repel aphids, ants, armyworms, beetles, borers, cabbage bugs, caterpillars, cutworms, mites, mosquitoes, slugs, termites, whiteflies! Wow, all these and vampires too!

In the end, do your best to use natural remedies (squish those aphids!)
and remember that your actions affect more than just that one creature who is "bugging you"!

"Give me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds and the bees, please!"
from Joni Mitchell's "The Big Yellow Taxi"

RELATED LINKS

Our own Belcarra Garden Club articles:

May 2022 Worms can compost, can you?
June 2022 Monarchs and Milkweed
January 2023 Slugs and Eggshells
May 2023 Ground Beetles and others
September 2023 Part 2 - Japanese Beetles
October 2023 - Invasive species: Hammerhead Worms

Garden Club Presentations (Nora's blog posts)

Good Bugs, Bad Bugs by Marilyn Holt – BC Fuchsia and Begonia Society (bcfuchsiasociety.com)

Here's a great PDF with photos of "Good bugs, bad bugs" from Marilyn Holt
Garden-Pests-Handout.pdf (bcfuchsiasociety.com)

Invasive Insects in the Lower Mainland by Diane Watson | PoCo Garden Club (wordpress.com)

Information from BC Invasives on the Japanese Beetle problem.
Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica) Problem | PoCo Garden Club (wordpress.com)

Here are some great photos and posters of Japanese beetles and their "look alikes" from BC Invasives
https://pocogardenclub.wordpress.com/2023/08/16/japanese-beetle-popillia-japonica-problem/

Pests and Diseases of Fuchsia and Geraniums by Ronald Kok – BC Fuchsia and Begonia Society (bcfuchsiasociety.com)

Here are some Garden Allies!
Know Your Garden Allies by Renee Prasad | PoCo Garden Club (wordpress.com)

Downloadable pamphlet on local beneficial insects etc. in your garden
WSU Extension Publications|Beneficial Insects, Spiders, and Mites in Your Garden: Who they are and how to get them to stay (Home Garden Series)

Butterflies in our Gardens by Hendrik Meekel – BC Fuchsia and Begonia Society (bcfuchsiasociety.com)

Honeybees, Types of Honey, Beeswax and Other Products from the Hive by Winston Wong – BC Fuchsia and Begonia Society (bcfuchsiasociety.com)

https://www.bcfuchsiasociety.com/honeybees-and-mason-bees-by-winston-wong/

Companion Planting by Lori Greyell | PoCo Garden Club (wordpress.com)

Around the Garden with Les Bramley

Seed Stratification

We only started to stratify seeds in the fridge three years ago. Before that we just did it the old-fashioned way; sow the seeds as per the instructions on the packet and let nature do the rest. When doing this, the birds, mice, voles, and whatever else, seem to get some of the seeds. Since stratifying our seeds and planting them in pots, we are getting far better return on our efforts.

How to stratify seeds indoors
Place seeds in a moistened paper towel.
Sprinkle cinnamon powder on the seeds to prevent mould forming.
Place in a plastic bag and seal. Mark the seed type, starting date, and finishing date on the bag.
We pop our seed bags in the wine fridge that is set at 38 F.
The stratification times vary greatly; some seeds require two weeks and others as much as three months. Follow the packet instructions.

The Benefits of Cinnamon

So now I am raiding Kathy's cupboard for cinnamon. This spice is obtained from the inner bark of trees native to Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde, cinnamate, cinnamic acid, and essential oils. It is a natural fungicide, antibacterial, and antimicrobial agent.

Here are five things that cinnamon is good for in the garden:
1. As a natural rooting hormone
2. As an ant repellant
3. To control fungus gnats / flies
4. To combat mould, mildew, and fungus
5. To treat plant injuries

Look up cinnamon uses online. There is a ton of information available.

Back to Belcarra Garden Club

Belcarra Garden Club BC, Canada