First came the rain. Then came the weeds, setting the stage for more work in the garden — and just as you were ready to settle in a comfortable chair with some iced tea and a good murder mystery! Moreover, the insects that are eating your flowers and veggies are becoming difficult to manage. Why not dispatch weeds and pests gently, without harmful chemicals? Why create residual damage in the name of insect control?

Insect control substances are called pesticides; weed killers are called herbicides. (The suffix “-cide” means “a killer of.”) Alas, such products often have unwanted and harmful effects, indiscriminately killing the good along with the bad. Being rid of thrips on your roses or squash bugs in the vegetable garden is desirable, but using something that also eliminates native bees or ladybugs is not a good idea.

To learn more about beneficial insects and how to identify them, you can explore New Mexico State University’s many resources, which include the guide, “Backyard Beneficial Insects in New Mexico.” It’s available athttps://pubs.nmsu.edu/_h/H172/index.html.

NMSU has a Cooperative Extension Services (CES) Publications webpage where you can find a wealth of information about Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which explains methods to reduce the use of chemicals and avoid the associated health risks. IPM helps maintain a healthier garden in the long run by supporting beneficial critters that can annihilate the bad guys. Before your frustration turns into murderous sentiments as you gaze at chewed leaves or recover from hours of weeding, explore these safe pest-management options.

Think twice about herbicides and foggers

Broad-spectrum herbicides should also be avoided. Most gardeners are aware of the nonselective weed killers on the market. But, aside from their lawsuit-worthy side effects, broad-spectrum herbicides kill any and all plants on which they are sprayed. If you spray to exterminate weeds on a windy day, you are likely to render a favorite plant or two lifeless in no time. Using a fogger may make your patio seem more habitable, but it can also eradicate desirable bees and butterflies. Choose a product that does away with the specific pest you are after. Also, after it rains, empty plant saucers, buckets and watering cans that may harbor mosquito larvae.

Other maintenance tasks beckon at this time of year. Adding mulch to your flower beds can help retain moisture and asphyxiate weeds as they sprout. Deadheading, or removing spent flowers, will pave the way for a new round for blooms. (Deadheading a rather macabre name for a way to add beauty to your garden, but beauty is the goal!)

Once your gardening is complete for the day, you can grab a glass of iced tea and settle in with that murder mystery, perhaps one set in a garden. A quick peek at goodreads.com yields such titles as Bloom and Doom and Thyme of Death. Or, perhaps Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden or Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief is more your style. Whatever you choose, be sure that any pests that interrupt your reading pleasure get their just desserts!

Know your plants and pesticides

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