In awe of insect predators
enlarge this imageSome gardeners wonder as they come across an unfamiliar insect, "Is this a good bug or bad?" Here's a simple test that will identify many of the "good guy" hunters of other insects. If you look at the insect and it looks back at you rather than turning away or hiding, chances are pretty darned good you're looking at a predator... and it's sizing YOU up.
Recently we advised against spraying spider-webbed shrubs.
That's because the simple presence of spiders means there must be
many insects in residence there -- an entire ecosystem -- and any
spraying program that killed the spiders could upset the whole kit
and kaboodle.
We dislike unbalanced plant-pest systems, where we often end up
with more work than we can handle as sole protectors of plants from
their enemies.
Take a close look with us at a small section of shrubbery and
see if you, too, end up by backing away slowly with the vow, "Carry
on you-all, and leave me out of this!"
Watch a funnel spider at work.
Ponder the plenty of predators on the
shrubs