Master Gardener Bonnie Power explained how to encourage the “good” and discourage the “bad” insects that are attracted to our gardens with her presentation, “Good Bugs and Bad Bugs: What Every Gardener Should Know.” Bonnie discussed many of the most common garden pests and the beneficial insects and other arthropods that help our gardens thrive.
We learned that many bugs are bad at one stage of their lives and good at another stage. Deciding what to do about bugs, and when, is not always simple. And poisoning bugs should be a last resort because poisoning bad bugs puts good bugs and birds in the food chain at risk either from the poison or from the lack of food supply.