Insects

Insects Nature Gardening High Desert

Garden Pest: Stink Bugs

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read455 views

Stink Bugs! They are green or brown and they got the name ‘shield bug’ from their shield shape and the name ‘stink bug’ from the odor they emit when threaten or when squished. On Monday afternoon, while gardening, I found a Green Stink Bug on a dried Rose bush leaf, probably busy laying eggs on my Rose bushes. They enjoy feeding on tender growth and for that and much more, they are simply a nuisances.

Green Stink Bug on Roses Leaf.
Green Stink/Soldier Bug on Rose dead Leaf.
Stink/Shield/Soldier Bug.
Image Source:  1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

As Spring is nearing, you should start inspecting your Rose bushes (especially on the underside of leaves or along stems for eggs) and other plants as these bugs enjoy new growth. You can use a hard spray of water from the hose early in the morning to eradicate them (add 1 Tablespoon of soap in the sprayer), you can buy some Helpful Garden Insects, or you can use organic pesticides.

Click here to read more about Stink Bugs.
Click here, here and here to read about Rose Pests and how to control them.

Here’s a Book on Roses which I recommend: The Ultimate Rose Book.

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JM Perez By JM Perez
Insects Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Helpful Garden Insects

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read1.7K views

Living in the High Desert and being passionate about gardening can be challenging at times. Regardless of the care I give my plants, Powdery Mildew, white dusty spots found on leaves and sometimes on stems of plants, have always been an issue in my Rose garden during Fall and Spring; possibly due to the cool weather. I have had a few dieback, and lots of Aphids (plant lice) early this year. I use fertilizers on my plants and I have used fungicide to eradicate them and it worked on and off.

My Roses bloom all year round. This Summer, however, I didn’t see a single bloom and I noticed that the plants were a lot healthier. A couple of days ago, I spotted a Praying Mantis on my Camelot Hybrid Tea Rose and I smiled at the fact that it was there primarily to feed, which in turn helped keep my plants disease free.

Praying Mantis on ‘Camelot Hybrid Tea Rose.’
Praying Mantis on ‘Camelot Hybrid Tea Rose.’

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with Praying Mantises, especially with their strange shape. Though I have always known of their advantages in the garden; I had never witness the marvelous results they produce. The Praying Mantises are wonderful insect control in the garden, as they feed on Aphids, caterpillars as well as other harmful and beneficial insects. The Praying Mantis is an insect which does not discriminate.

Other Helpful Garden Insects:

  • Green Lacewings
  • Assassin Bug
  • LadyBugs
  • Dragonflies
  • Predatory Mites
  • Bees
  • Centipedes
  • Damsel Bugs
  • Spiders
  • Syrphid Fly
  • Ground Beetles
  • Ichneumon Wasp
  • Trichogramma Wasps

You can read more about the benefits of Praying Mantises here.

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JM Perez By JM Perez