BUGS, SLUGS AND OTHER THUGS, Controlling Garden Pests Organically

Controlling Garden Pests Organically

In today's pesticide-conscious world, homeowners frequently are caught in a bind: should they combat pests by adding yet more poison to an already polluted environment or simply tolerate a pest infestation? In fact, neither is necessary because ordinary household materials plus plain common sense and a little ingenuity can perform miracles. Either of the above titles as well as Bernice Lifton's Bug Busters ( LJ 3/15/91) and William Olkowski and others' Common Sense Pest Control ( LJ 5/1/91) can tell you how. The four books share a common theme: insecticide-free pest control that is made possible by first understanding the biology of each pest and then by using simple deterrents and eradication methods, including traps, barriers, baits, and repellents. The books differ in format, style of presentation, and number of pests covered. Bugs, Slugs, & Other Thugs is entirely garden-oriented and covers a wide variety of pests, including nematodes, spider mites, aphids, beetles, bugs, moth larvae, turtles, birds, and a long list of mammals, such as armadillos, bears, and the neighbor's kids. The other three books focus on pests of humans and houses as well as gardens. Of these, Common Sense Pest Control is the most encyclopedic and is the only one to discuss weeds and crop fungi. Bug Busters covers fewer species but outlines the biology of and control methods for the most important pests of humans and homes in step-by-step detail. Tiny Game Hunting is a bargain in spite of its small format (8 x 5). It is written in terse, yet conversational style and covers almost every creature included in the other books, and even has some the others don't.
- Annette Aiello, Smithsonian Tropical Research Inst., Panama
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.