Insects:

Plants have surprisingly efficient and sophisticated defenses against insect attack, especially when they are kept strong and healthy with sufficient amounts of food, water, and sunlight, and have enough room to grow well.  Weak plants, like people, have less resistance than healthy ones and can even attract insects.

Some thing we can do to help plants defend against insects are:

 
Maintain Balanced Growth by incorporating liberal amounts of organic matter into the soil and foliar feeding occasionally with seaweed or fish emulsion.

Diversify - grow a large variety of plants.  We are just learning some of the more useful relationships of various plants and insects.  Experiment and be observant of natural balances.

Never use strong chemicals on your property: they may kill predators and stimulate resistance in pests.

Encourage predators - Wasps, birds, spiders, etc.  A bird bath or small pond is good for attracting helpful wild critters.

ABOVE ALL - Recognize that the more loving and harmonious an atmosphere we create in our yards, the less imbalance will occur.  Keep in mind also, that all living organisms have their place (that spider you may be tempted to kill works hard to keep the pest population in your yard and house under control.).

REMEMBER - returning your home grounds to a natural, balanced state does not happen overnight.  It may take two or more seasons to accomplish, depending on what conditions you are starting with and how quickly you are able to add to the environment those aspects necessary for balance.

Dealing with an Insect Invasion...
 

Should you be subject to a heavy insect attack of some kind, try not to panic.  It happens now and then in the most balanced environments.  Insects can eat a lot before they do any real harm.  Therefore:

Feed your plants- A compost topdressing and a foliar feed will help a plant's resistance.

Feed the bugs- If only a small percentage of your crop is affected, leave well enough alone and give predators time to colonize.  They will take care of the problem for you.

Focus on the problem - many larger bugs can be controlled by hand-picking for a few days, and the smaller insects can often be discouraged with sprays of water.

Biological controls - If it's a leaf or fruit-eating larvae (cabbage worm, etc.) consider using Bacillus thuringiensis or other bacillus, which are harmless to humans, animals, and beneficial insects.

Above all, learn to tolerate some insects in your yard.  Remember - concentrate on building healthy soil for healthy plants.

ladybug and larvea