• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Embrace Bugs For A Happier Life

May 5, 2008 By Carol Michel 24 Comments

We are outnumbered, you know that don’t you? There are far more insects than people. Far more, way more, lots more than we can really fathom.

I read once that for every pound of people on this earth, there are 70 pounds of insects*. And insects don’t weigh that much individually. So there must be a lot of them out there.

Out there, where we all garden. Bugs, insects, and for sake of completeness, let’s include spiders, too.

We all know that sooner rather than later, as gardeners, we are going to encounter a bug, an insect, a spider, some kind of creepy crawly icky something or other in our garden. And we’ll never get anything done if we scream, drop our pruners and run back inside when we do see something crawling towards us.

If we are to enjoy gardening and have a happy gardening life, we have to learn to co-exist with the bugs, get over any fear we have of them, and embrace them as part of the outdoor experience.

Do you embrace the bugs as part of the whole gardening experience? If not, here are some ways to do so.

1. Learn about them. As a gardener, you need to know which insects are ‘good’ insects and which are ‘bad’ insects. Bad insects are generally those that eat our plants. Good insects are those that eat bad insects. Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? If you learn about something, you will fear it less.

2. Respect them. You should learn which insects and spiders can also go after you. Pictured above is a cicada killer attacking a cicada, the best bug picture I’ve ever taken. Normally, a cicada killer won’t bother people, which is why I was brave enough to take that picture. But as my sister can tell you, if it gets up under your skirt, even a cicada killer, a large wasp, will sting a person out of fear. Other wasps, like paper wasps, as I can tell you, will sting if you get too close to their nest.

3. Kill with caution. Yes, at times you will have to kill insects. I’m not talking about stepping on every beetle that crosses your path. On the contrary, in most cases, just let the insects “be”. I’m talking about killing a nest of German yellow jackets because they are nesting under the eave of the house. Insects can turn more aggresive if threatened, so just be careful.

4. Learn which insects and spiders are venomous. Every part of the world has poisonous bugs and spiders. In my area, it’s good to know what the brown recluse spider looks like, though you aren’t likely to encounter one out in the open. And we are just north of where the black widow spiders live, so it’s good to know what those look like, too, just in case one gets lost and comes too far north.

5. Get used to seeing insects so you don’t freak out when you do see them. I recommend looking at pictures of bugs and spiders online, reading a good entomology book with pictures, or maybe even attending a bug festival like the Bug Bowl held at Purdue University each spring.

6. Finally, learn to touch insects. Sometimes the best way to control insects in the garden, like Japenese beetles, is to pick them off the plant and drop them in a bucket of soapy water to drown them. And bagworms are best controlled by pulling them off the plants, yes with your hand, and tossing them in the trash. And when you really get used to touching bugs, you can pick tomato hornworms off your tomato plants.

So stop letting the insects and spiders in your garden ‘bug’ you. Learn to embrace them as part of the gardening experience and you will have a happier life.

*from Flies in the Face of Fashion, Mites Make Right, and Other Bugdacious Tales by Tom Turpin.

Don’t forget to also embrace weeding.

(I’m Carol and I approve this message. Oops, dang, where did that come from? Oh, yeah, all those political commercials. A constant stream of them. Not just on TV, on radio, too. Our primary election can not not get over soon enough for me.)

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: embrace, insects

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. growingagardenindavis says

    May 5, 2008 at 5:02 am

    Personally, I feel safer in a garden with insect activity…there can’t be too much poison floating around with all that fauna! And the older I get the less the bugs bug me…well except the earwigs that like to eat my baby plants.

    Reply
  2. beckie says

    May 5, 2008 at 6:08 am

    Carol, I’ve embraced weeding. Not so sure about the bugs. Live and let live is a good motto where bugs are concerned. I won’t run, but neither will I pet one. Good post…we should be aware of what will harm us. By the way, I’m weeding 10 min. a day, but the weeds are growing 20 min. a day!

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    May 5, 2008 at 6:43 am

    Good advice, Carol. I live and let live too, except those wasps nesting under the eaves. I let spiders alone also, though they creep me out. But I will never page through a book of spider photos for fun. Sorry.

    Reply
  4. Whyite says

    May 5, 2008 at 10:52 am

    I generally don’t mind the bugs if they don’t crawl on me. Except for lady bugs they can take a ride on my shirt if they want too.

    The bugs I can’t stand are wasps and yellow jackets. I dislike these little buggers. I know they have their place but do they have to be in my shed.

    Reply
  5. Kathy says

    May 5, 2008 at 11:07 am

    All good advice, but I don’t think I will be picking up any bugs. I will leave that to Sam, Sophie and Seth. (Unless it is a firefly or ladybug.)
    Kathy

    Reply
  6. Lisa at Greenbow says

    May 5, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    You are oh so right about the amount of insects in the garden. I once thought I would try to take a picture of every insect in the garden. Ha… Just too numerous. I do find them facinating to watch. I don’t like touching them though. My skin crawls, even though I know the ones I would touch wouldn’t be able to hurt me.

    Reply
  7. Rose says

    May 5, 2008 at 12:48 pm

    Great post, as always, Carol. But I don’t think I’ll ever get to the point where I can pick up a horny tomato worm with my hands–my skin is crawling as I type this!

    By the way, thanks again for sponsoring the hoedown on Saturday; I visited many of the participants’ sites and had a lot of fun as well as learning something about hoes.

    Reply
  8. Dave says

    May 5, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    I generally don’t mind the bugs. The aphids are a pain but the lady bugs take care of them for me. My wife hates the wasps but they are another beneficial predatory insect. They mostly ignore you. Some wasps like to get those nasty little hornworms. They lay their eggs in the hornworms then the hornworms explode later with wasp larvae. It’s kind of gross but anything that gets a hornworm is welcome in my garden!

    Reply
  9. Robin's Nesting Place says

    May 5, 2008 at 2:53 pm

    I enjoy seeing most insects in the garden, and I also pick the Japanese beetles and bagworms off by hand.

    Usually the bees don’t bother me, but the other day I was near the arborvitae and a bee flew out at me. I wasn’t expecting to see one that early and let out a little scream, just as my neighbor happened to drive by. He walked over and asked me if I was OK, because he thought he heard me scream. That was embarrassing!

    Reply
  10. Karen says

    May 5, 2008 at 3:34 pm

    Good advice on getting to know bugs! I have trouble with that some of them do freak me out. My daughter is fascinated by them.

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    May 5, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    Yes, I embrace insects–the bad ones, generally, between my forefinger and my thumb!

    I constantly squish grubs barehanded and I leave all my paperwasp nests up because they feast on webworms (and discourage door-to-door salesmen). I have a horror of roaches but leave them in the compost pile because the lizards feast on them.

    I’m friends with spiders (if I find them in the house I set them free outdoors) but I feed pill bugs to the goldfish.

    I also like snakes, toads, and frogs.

    Reply
  12. Kathy says

    May 5, 2008 at 4:12 pm

    True confession: I am more afraid of dogs than I am of any kind of insect or spider–or snake, even. But none of them make me scream. Only a popping balloon or other sudden loud noise makes me scream. Well, it’s more like a yell. Um. Let’s just say involuntary vocalization and leave it at that.

    Reply
  13. Gail says

    May 5, 2008 at 4:25 pm

    Carol,

    This is a good post but no matter what true bugs like aphids give me the creeps, I cannot touch their soft little squishy bodies! I respect most creatures and welcome them into the garden and escort them kindly outside of my house.

    Gail

    Reply
  14. Anonymous says

    May 5, 2008 at 5:15 pm

    Great post, Carol – I think it might also help to hang out with someone who LOVES bugs. Since I’ve been working with my co-worker/boss Gail I’ve caught some of her ‘bug’ for bugs and am much less squeamish around them than I used to be.

    Reply
  15. Rusty in Miami says

    May 5, 2008 at 6:39 pm

    Excellent post, in my garden all bugs are welcome even the bad ones. The law of nature works best when everyone is welcome.

    Reply
  16. Stacy says

    May 5, 2008 at 8:40 pm

    We have wolf spiders at our house! They are so big and scare the beejeebees out of me! AND one of them (or some other spider) managed to bite me on my knee last summer – swelled up bigger than a golf ball. 🙁 Ants and wolf spiders – they are my enemy #1 – I don’t mind the others so much….

    Reply
  17. Nancy J. Bond says

    May 5, 2008 at 10:10 pm

    I’m not sure about embracing them, as such, but I can certainly tolerate them. 🙂

    Reply
  18. Robin (Bumblebee) says

    May 5, 2008 at 10:23 pm

    First I have to embrace weeding. Now I have to embrace bugs. Please, please, please don’t write a post urging me to embrace snakes!

    Robin at Bumblebee

    Reply
  19. walk2write says

    May 5, 2008 at 10:40 pm

    I guess I’ve always been fascinated with insects. My mom told me that when I was about a year old and we lived in Okinawa (dad stationed there), I used to play with some kind of bee they called “tickle bees.” The first time she saw me petting one, she freaked out, but someone told her they were harmless so I was free to indulge my curiosity. My daughter must carry the same sort of gene. She won’t let anyone kill a spider. If she finds one inside the house, she traps it with a jar and carries it outside.

    Reply
  20. Carol Michel says

    May 6, 2008 at 3:35 am

    Leslie, Right on, and we are fortunate to not have earwigs around here.

    Beckie, That’s funny, your weeds are growing faster than you can weed them. Don’t we all feel that way sometimes.

    Pam/Digging, I’m with you on the spiders. I don’t like them and I prefer when a garden blogger posts a picture of a spider that they put it at the bottom of their post and warn us before we page down to see it.

    Curtis, I know what you mean about the paper wasps and yellow jackets, from personal experience.

    Kathy, Yeah, where did they get that willingness to pick up bugs?!

    Lisa at Greenbow, It does take some practice to be able to touch bugs without your skin crawling…

    Rose, I’m glad you enjoyed the hoe down, I did, too. On the hornworms, I still have to wear gloves.

    Dave, Yes, I like to see a hornworm covered up with wasp eggs!

    Robin’s Nesting Place, It sounds like you have some nice neighbors!

    Karen, You should continue to encourage your daughter to study bugs. Maybe she’ll become an entomologist.

    MSS @ Zathan Gardens, Wow, you are my hero. I don’t like snakes or spiders, the rest are okay, but I’d prefer not to run into roaches, especially inside.

    Kathy, Good thing there aren’t a lot of dog pests in the garden!

    Gail, Yes, “squishy” bugs are kind of gross and take some getting used to.

    Kris at Blithewold, True, true, true. I had an entomology professor at Purdue who was so enthusiastic about insects that it was hard not to like the bugs by the end of the class.

    Rusty in Miama, That is very profound!

    SuzyQ, My sister has great big wolf spiders at her house, too. I’ve posted about them and it is still one of the most read posts on my blog, with lots of “Google” hits for the search term ‘big spiders’.

    Nancy J. Bond, As long as they don’t keep you from gardening, right?

    Robin (Bumblebee), Never fear, you find an “embrace snakes” on this blog. I don’t care for them.

    Walk2Write, I think we do learn a lot from our parents on how to handle insects… to scream and run or accept them a part of life.

    Thanks all for the comments and additional thoughts on insects!

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

    Reply
  21. Mr. McGregor's Daughter says

    May 6, 2008 at 9:41 pm

    I wish I could get my daughter to accept bugs, much less embrace them. She will avoid going outside if she thinks there will be bugs around. She runs screaming from butterflies. Do you think she needs professional help? :^) I refuse to kill spiders in the house if they stay up in the corner of the ceiling. I like seeing them in the garden, as I know they eat lots of bad bugs. I’m pretty much live & let live except for Earwigs & Columbine sawfly larva. Squish, smash!

    Reply
  22. Lori says

    May 7, 2008 at 9:54 am

    I’ve never had the guts to pick most insects off by hand. I can handle the worms, but everything else…

    *shudder*

    I don’t know how people can pinch aphids off of their plants. Somebody suggested to me to try the sticky side of some tape, which I haven’t tested yet, but that might be an alternative.

    In the past, I’ve always wussed out and gone to the local nursery that sells live ladybugs, nematodes, and praying mantis eggs. 😉

    Reply
  23. Lori says

    May 7, 2008 at 9:58 am

    On second thought, I take back what I said about the worms. I’ll poke them with sticks, but with a few exceptions, I don’t wanna touch them. Now I’m thinking about those big webs of worms in the trees. Ugh.

    Reply
  24. Anonymous says

    May 8, 2008 at 6:11 pm

    The bugs in Scotland are probably a very different bunch from yours – and no venomous spiders, thankfully! – but the feeling like I can’t set up a veg patch in Slugsville, Edinburgh without killing the slugs and snails gets to me; I wouldn’t kill a cat because it used a garden as a toilet, so why kill a slug just because you set them up a snackbar?! I’m trying copper tape and gravel this year, and hopefully the snails will leave some of the veg for me!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,053)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT