Early warm weather means more bugs, good and bad

Question: This spring it seems there are so many pests already in the garden. I am concerned that they are going to get way out of control. What can I do to discourage pests from proliferating as the growing season progresses? I don't want to use pesticides.

Answer: Oregon has had the second warmest year on record. This allows more invertebrate pests to survive and breed. It is early in the season, so here's some hints for an overall strategy for pest control thanks to Amy Dreves, an Oregon State University entomologist who specializes in integrated pest management.

First, know thy enemy. Learn to identify the creatures you're dealing with. Why waste time and resources controlling an innocuous insect that isn't causing a problem? Buy a good insect book with pictures.

Then, learn to recognize that some bugs out there are "good." Using insect guides, learn about beneficial insects and how to attract them to your garden. They'll do some of the dirty work of pest control for you. Flowering herbs such as cilantro, dill, fennel and bee balm are attractive to many beneficial insects.

MORE: Find more local home and garden tips and stories.

I've just started using "sticky traps" to monitor for pests. These traps are cardboard coated with a sticky substance that you can hang or place in the garden. Thrips, aphids, leaf miners, gnats, fruitflies, leafhoppers and other tiny insects get stuck and die in the sticky stuff, then you can take a hand lens and learn what lurks among your garden plants. These can be bought at good garden centers. Or make your own sticky traps by coating cardboard with mineral oil or a product called Tanglefoot. Yellow-colored traps attract thrips and whiteflies. Red traps lure apple maggot flies. Blue attracts thrips and leaf miners.

Pheromone lures that drive certain bugs crazy, such as codling moths and apple maggots, will boost your success with some traps.

Other ideas include:

• Keep plant refuse, litter and weeds cleaned up around the garden. Debris provides comfortable breeding spots for many insects.
• If you see pests, grab them. Hand picking pests from your plants, especially early in the season, is as effective as any other method. Squash them or dump them into a bucket of soapy water. Wear gloves if you don't want bug cooties on your fingers.
• Blast bugs off plants with a strong stream of water from a garden hose. Sometimes that's all it takes.
• Cover your rows of plants with floating row covers. If you can't find them at garden centers, check your gardening catalogs. Several brands are available of lightweight spun or woven fabric that can be put directly on top of plants to form a barrier against insects. They let in light, air and moisture but must be removed when the temperature reaches into the high 80s, or when flowering plants need insects for pollination.
• Use trap crops. Flea beetles might leave your eggplants alone if you plant radishes nearby, a plant they are particularly fond of. The bright yellow-orange blossoms of calendula are frequently the first place you'll find cucumber beetles and blister beetles. They make an easy target for hand picking while they are engrossed in these brilliant flowers, especially on cool mornings when beetles are sluggish.
• Stop sowbugs and pill bugs with diatomaceous earth, which contains the tiny glass exoskeletons of diatoms. The diatom injure sow and pill bugs and many other types of insect larvae. This method loses effectiveness if the diatomaceous earth gets wet.

Happy May Day! Some early May reminders

Plant your first bush beans, put in another batch of peas, plant more carrots, get your tomato starts cold hardened, flip your compost pile, adding your grass clippings in to the mix, and fertilize your roses.

Also, prepare and prime irrigation systems for summer. And use a soil thermometer to help you know when to plant vegetables. Wait until the soil is consistently above 70 degrees to plant tomatoes, squash, melons, peppers and eggplant.