While venturing through the garden or landscape, if you come upon a plant that looks sick or has a congregation of bugs on it, don't panic and grab the nearest can of chemicals, Goodspeed suggests. The first thing to do is get the problem identified. Take the infested plant part into your local nursery, look it up in a book or bring it into one of the Extension offices. Once the insect, disease or weed is identified, you can make some wise decisions on how to control the problem, he says. Take the time to find out the life cycle of the pest, what plants it affects, and how much damage it can do.
Some pests are simply a nuisance while others can destroy an entire orchard.
I really believe that we need to be a little more tolerant of some insects and diseases, and look for different control options before we spray, Goodspeed says. I once heard of someone who sprayed a whole bottle of chemical over a garden to kill three or four squash bugs. The sad part is that the squash bugs survived the drenching. Most insects actually cause little, if any, damage, he says. For those that are really bad and cause some serious problems, first consider cultural, mechanical or biological controls before spraying or dusting.