GARDEN CHAT By Jean Lundquist
Not so itsy bitsy SPIDER T
Good spiders are outside spiders
his summer has been a challenging one. Between weeks of drought followed by torrential rains, to pests. I have been fortunate, at least on the pest front, with one small exception. I’ll get to that in a minute. Japanese beetles have been a bane for many of my gardening friends, especially those who won’t use chemicals on their food. These beetles will eat just about any plant put before it. They are kind of pretty, if you like iridescent green bugs with coppery wings. But they decimate plants, chewing a lacy skeleton behind on the leaves where they have been active. They will eat just about anything, though they are particularly partial to roses. They also like geraniums, where they feast on the flowers. Because of chemicals in geranium flowers, they get dizzy and fall to the ground, where you can sweep them up. Other controls include hand-picking them from the 42 • SEPTEMBER 2021 • MANKATO MAGAZINE
plants, spraying with Neem oil, or using one of the many recipes for Japanese beetle control found on the Internet. A fair warning, however, that almost all of these ideas, except for hand-picking, carry some environmental threat. Even Neem oil, which is considered a natural control, can be toxic to fish if it gets into the water. If you do choose to use a chemical, read the label to be sure it doesn’t harm bees and other pollinators. At any rate, be sure to test what you use on a small part of a plant before widespread use. I wasn’t bothered by Japanese beetles this summer, but from how widespread they are, I’m already preparing for next year. The one pest that did bother me this year was a black and yellow garden spider. I am of the firm belief that any spider in the house is a bad spider, and should be disposed of. Don’t judge me, it’s just how I feel about it.
