Biological Insect Controls
Natural ways to keep a garden pest-free.
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STAFF PHOTO
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As waves of summer heat make the soil shimmer and drenching
down pours release the fragrance of the earth, it's the
season to pick bugs, pull weeds, cultivate the soil ... and
look forward to the joys of the harvest.
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By Peter Hemingson
There's a cornucopia of good news for home gardeners this
month, and much of it concerns organic alternatives for
insect and disease control. Take the catalog of Ringer
Research (Dept. TMEN, 6860 Flying Cloud Dr., Eden Prairie,
MN 55344), for example. In it you'll find such well-known
products as Bacillus thuringiensis (BT or Dipel),
a bacterial insecticide that's effective against
caterpillars, and milky spore, a disease that colonizes and
controls Japanese beetles.
But you'll find some less common items, too. A version of
BT called BMC—more scientifically, Bacillus
thuringiensis israeliensis — is offered
as a safe, natural control for the larvae of black flies
and mosquitoes, two pests that can really keep you out of
the garden! The best thing about this special form of BT is
that it has no effect on people, fish, or other creatures:
It just kills larvae. (BMC is also available from
Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co., Yankton, SD 57079.)
And then there's Seek, which provides effective control of
root weevils, cutworms, Japanese beetles, some borers, and
other insect pests. Operating much like BT, Seek (actually
living Steinernematid nematodes) lies in wait in the soil
for its enemies. Once contact is made, the
garden-beneficial nematodes enter their victim and effect a
kill in two days. In the process, the nematodes multiply
and send out additional generations for long-lasting
control. Half a pound treats 200 square feet and sells for
about $13.
AND MORE . . .
Now that's really good news, you might say. What could be
better? Well , try this: According to a report by Jerry
Bishop in The Wall Street journal, a team of
scientists working on interferon research has identified a
chemical that—at least in laboratory tests—has
proven to be a potent inhibitor of plant viruses. Bishop
says, "If field experiments confirm laboratory experience,
the chemical could be to plant virus diseases what
penicillin is to human bacterial diseases."
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