Pest Patrol

Beetles: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

You pick up a rock, and a large, shiny black beetle scurries away. Should you squish it? The answer is no, but this is a great opportunity to explore the positive and negative roles beetles play in the garden. Beneficial Helpers in the Garden To some people, beetles appear menacing. Many of them, such as ...

Japanese Beetles on Vegetable Plants

Japanese beetles are devastating my veggies. Not surprising, really, since I did have a severe outbreak of grubs—from which Japanese beetles develop—in my vegetable garden’s soil over the last two months. The grubs (the larval form of the beetle) have now grown up, emerged from the ground and become the devastating chewers that they are. ...