True bugs. Forewings cover half of the abdomen (aka backs) of true bugs. They are in the order Hemiptera, which means half wing. Many other insects are often called bugs, the lady bug for example, which is actually a beetle (a lady beetle). But the only actual bugs are insects in the order Hemiptera.

 All of the true bugs have piercing-sucking mouthparts like hypodermic needles. The bugs that damage our vegetable gardens are ones like stink bugs, squash bugs, harlequin bugs, and tarnished plant bugs. But there are also good bugs, beneficial predators, like minute pirate bugs, that use their needle-like mouth to stab other insects and suck the life out of them. Aside from the bugs you find in your garden there are also bugs like bed bugs and kissing bugs, ones that feed on us humans by sucking our blood.

This green stink bug has its needle-like mouth parts inserted into a flower bud and is busy sucking nutrients out of the plant. You can clearly see that the hard forewings (green with yellow dots) only cover half the bug’s back. The membranous hindwings stick out from underneath the forewings and are easily visible to the naked eye. Stink bug feeding leaves Yellow spots of damaged tissue on developing fruits are the tell-tale clue that stink bugs leave behind.

This insect is a spotted asparagus beetle, not a bug and not a lady beetle. Like all beetles, the hard, colorful forewings (red with black spots in this example) completely cover the abdomen and the membranous hindwings are not visible. Beetles have chewing mouthparts, unlike bugs. This pest lays eggs on asparagus plants, and its larvae eats the asparagus berries.

All of the true bugs have incomplete metamorphosis where their babies (nymphs) look like the adults but without wings. The bug nymph shown here on an asparagus plant has very rudimentary wings and strongly resembles the adult bug. When it reaches maturity it will have well developed wings like the green stink bug in the first photo shown above.

The squash bug feeds on squash plants and their relatives. It, like the stink bug, is a true bug. The adults and the babies (nymphs) stick their sharp little beaks into the leaves and suck out the nutritious sap. They can seriously damage your summer and winter squash, and pumpkins, but they will also feed to a lesser extent on any other member of the cucurbit family. The nymphs look a bit like gigantic gray aphids clustered on the undersides of the leaves. When they reach adulthood they have well developed wings and are swift flyers.

In contrast to insects that have incomplete metamorphosis, those that have complete metamorphosis, like butterflies, have babies (larvae) which do not look anything like the adult. The butterfly larva is a caterpillar, a very different creature from the adult. The fly larva is a maggot, also very different from the adult.

 Effective organic controls for pesky true bugs in the vegetable garden include hand-picking where you grab them and dump them into a jar of soapy water. Insecticidal soap is also safe and easy to use. Just be sure that the bug you spray is actually a pest and not a beneficial insect because the soap will kill pests and beneficials alike. If you are plagued by bugs in your vegetable garden this year, think about putting up some row covers next year to exclude the bugs completely.

 Be careful and think twice before using any chemicals to control insects in your vegetable garden. Remember, you’re growing food that you intend to eat. Never spray your food with poison. 

It’s officially summertime. The solstice came and went. We’re tending our gardens, nurturing our vegetables and flowers. We all look forward to an abundant harvest of fantastic, home-grown, organic vegetables.

 Along the way we might run into beetles. Some beetles, like ladybugs (aka lady beetles), are good partners. Beneficial insects such as these help you achieve your goals by eating insects that damage to your plants. Other beetles damage your plants:

Japanese beetles. They’re busy eating holes in these leaves (well, they’re busy doing other things as well) and can seriously damage a very wide range of garden plants. These beetles only occur east of the Mississippi. The ones shown are the adults. Their babies (whitish grubs with brown heads that curl into a “C” shape) live in the soil and eat plant roots. You can hand pick the adults and knock them off the plants into a can of soapy water. Beneficial nematodes that also live in the soil attack and kill a wide variety of soil dwelling insects, including the larvae of Japanese beetles.

Colorado potato beetles. The adult is on the left and a baby (larva) on the right. The adults and larvae have voracious appetites for numerous garden plants and can be quite destructive. The soapy water trick works on adults and larvae alike. Bt san diego (Bacillus thuringiensis var. san diego), a parasitic bacterium that infects and kills beetles and only beetles, provides excellent control. Be careful to get the variety san diego for beetles. The more common variety of Bt is var. kurstaki which only kills caterpillars and will have no effect at all on your beetles.

Flea beetles. So called because they are very tiny and hop like fleas. These insects are too small to hand pick. They chew lots of small roundish holes in leaves and can make eggplant leaves look like lace. Their larvae live in the soil and eat plant roots. Thus beneficial nematodes make a good remedy for these beetles.

Curculio or Weevil. The long snout is the give-away.  This is a rose curculio on a ‘Harrison’s Yellow’ rose flower. They eat holes in the flower petals, chew up the stamens and lay their eggs in the flower. Hand-picking into soapy water works on these guys. The larva is a legless, whitish grub with a brown head. It drops to the ground when it’s ready to pupate to become an adult. Because it spends part of its life cycle in the soil it is also vulnerable to beneficial nematodes.

Ladybug (aka lady beetle). Not really a bug at all but a true beetle. There are many species of lady beetles and all of them are valuable partners in the garden. They are voracious predators of aphids and other soft bodied insects so they really do a good job of protecting your plants.

Our book “What’s Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?)” has just been reviewed by Dominique Browning at the New York Times, May 27, 2010. And it’s a really good review too.

Her topic for the reviews is “Gardening Books.” She reviews several good gardening books and our book is among them.

Here’s what she has to say: “Many gardeners find it hard to ask for help. The excellent (and sturdy) WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY PLANT? (And How Do I Fix It?) (Timber Press, paper, $24.95), by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth, will be indispensable to them, and to the rest of us as well. The information is concise: “A borer’s hole and frass (poop) are obvious on this asparagus stem.” (Thank you very much.) The illustrations are clear, the remedies organic. I promise you, things will go wrong. Be prepared.” You can read the whole article  at this link

Our book has now been reviewed dozens of times, from the NY Times to the Washington Post and many more. All the reviews have been very positive and we are very grateful. Our book is now an award-winning best-seller. And that is very gratifying indeed.