Biological Insect Control

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PHOTO: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
Garden-beneficial nematodes can provide effective control of Japanese beetles.

As waves of summer heat make the soil shimmer and drenching downpours 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.

There’s a cornucopia of good news for home gardeners this month, and much of it concerns organic alternatives for disease and insect control. Take the catalog of Ringer Research, 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.)

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.

Garden Disease Control

  • Published on Jul 1, 1984
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