Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control
Early in her career as a gardener for hire, Walliser had an epiphany while watching the David Attenborough documentary Life in the Undergrowth. The sight of two hermaphroditic leopard slugs making love sparked both a fascination for insects and a reconsideration of the need for pesticides in her work. Her newfound passion for entomological research resulted in her acclaimed guide to garden insects, Good Bug Bad Bug (2011), and now this fact-filled handbook on natural pest-control methods. To encourage the good bugs “in hopes of mitigating the pesty ones,” Walliser offers invaluable advice on how to identify such “beneficials” as ladybugs, ground beetles, and parasitoid  wasps, as well as how to select a diversity of bug-attracting plants to promote a healthy balance between insect predator and prey. Alphabetical bug and plant profiles are included for easy reference. While the subject matter and close-up photographs of insects eating insects may make some readers squirm, dedicated gardeners will discover enough solid information and genuine motivation to finally put down their bug spray. --Carl Hays