Originally Published In The Deseret News -- Wednesday, July 20, 1994
Idea Of Management Rather Than Control Has Become Popular Recently.
Larry A. Sagers Is A Horticulturist With The Utah State University Extension Service.
The tremendous interest in gardening in Utah has its origins from the original pioneers who settled the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. They, like many of us, gardened to provide food for their family, but their gardens were not optional. They arrived in a hostile environment and, to survive, immediately began to plant to grow food. Still, because of the late planting date they harvested little and almost starved to death.
One early pioneer, Priddy Meeks, described attempts to find food while his family "went for several months without a satisfying meal of victuals. I sometimes went a mile up Jordan to a patch of wild rose to get the berries which I would eat as rapidly as a hog, stems and all. I shot hawks and crows and they ate well. I would go and search the mire holes and find cattle dead and fleece off what meat I could and eat it. We used wolf meat, which I thought was good. I made some wooden spades to dig seagoes
sego liliesT with, but we could not supply our wants. We worked particularly hard for thistle roots. I would take a grubbing hoe and a sack and would walk by sunrise in the morning about 6 miles before coming to where the thistle roots grew. In time I would get home and I would have a bushel, sometimes more, of thistle roots and we would eat them raw. I would dig until I grew weak and faint and sit down and eat a root and then begin again."
The year after arriving in the valley, the pioneers planted wheat and garden vegetables. A late frost injured many crops, and drought in May and June destroyed more. Soon after, hordes of crickets invaded and began devouring what remained. Despite using sticks, shovels, fires and trenches, the crickets continued to come. For two weeks they battled and prayed for relief, because to fail meant no food for the present colony or the 2,000 Saints who were to immigrate that year. On Sunday, while Charles C. Rich was preaching, seagulls from the Great Salt Lake flew in and began to devour the insects.
"They would eat the crickets, throw them up again and fill themselves again," reported Meeks. The gulls continued attacking for over two weeks until the crickets were controlled. The crops were preserved, and the seagull was made the Utah state bird, and a monument on Temple Square recognizes the event.
In my experience, Mormon crickets have to be one of the ugliest of all insects. They are wingless katydids native to the intermountain area. They normally inhabit high, rugged terrain, but their devastating migrations destroy more than 250 species of range and all cultivated crop plants. They became the first recorded pest in Utah.
The need to control pests has never left. There are always pests waiting to attack plants, animals and people. The idea of pest management rather than pest control has become much more popular in recent years. Manipulating the environment and other nonchemical pest controls needs to be considered any time pest controls are needed. Integrated pest management (IPM) has made significant progress in reducing pesticide use and increasing profitability in agricultural crops and is very important in urban gardens.
The first step in a successful IPM program is to detect the pests. Knowing which pests are likely to become troublesome to certain plants allows the infestation to be detected before damage is done. Many so-called pests are insects that cause no damage and in many cases are actually beneficial. If identification of the pest is a problem, take them to one of the diagnostic clinics at USU Extension offices along the Wasatch Front. In Salt Lake County, the diagnostic clinic is held every Monday from 1-4 p.m. in the Salt Lake County Government Center, 2001 S. State, Room S1200.
Know the biology and habits of each pest. By knowing the life cycle, it is possible to direct control measures at the most vulnerable life stage. The economic significance is also important. As mentioned previously, most insects are not going to cause harm and require no control. Finally, after the pest has been identified, and its biology, habits and economic significance established, a method of control can be selected.
Different kinds of controls abound. Cultural controls include crop rotation, tillage methods and resistant or tolerant varieties. Mechanical means such as lights, screens or traps are also effective. Numerous biological control methods are also available, including introducing and favoring predators and parasites. Temperatures, moisture and other environmental controls are also important. If chemical pest controls are necessary, choose those least damaging to predatory insects and the environment.
One valuable type of pest control is described as divine intervention. Although this worked well for the Mormon crickets, I suspect neither our faith nor our need is as great as those early pioneers. Most of us rely on less effective methods of pest control, but by using IPM techniques each gardener helps protect gardens and the environment.
© 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.