Other Internet bug information is available from the Oklahoma State University

http://www.ento.okstate.edu/factshts.htm, http://tolweb.org/tree, www.whatsthatbug.com,

www.insectclopedia.com, www.intothewoods.us/garden-bugs.html.

Good bugs include praying mantis, bees, green lacewing larvae, ladybugs, wheel bugs, ground beetles and big-eyed bugs. Gardeners have to be able to distinguish them from the pests.

One of the Web sites dedicated to chemical free pest management,

http://organicgardenpests.com shows destructive pests pictured in every life stage so you can see what’s what.

To protect pets, children and the environment in general, gardeners look for methods included in integrated pest management, organic gardening, sustainable agriculture and least toxic pest management programs.

Here are some ideas from the book, “Bugs, Slugs and Other Thugs” by Rhonda Massingham Hart.

• Slugs: Shade garden plants, leafy plants, marigolds, you name it, the slugs will eat it. Any time you see a silvery trail, a slug is nearby. They thrive in decaying vegetation; so clean the bed where they are. Remove dead leaves.

Another deterrent to slugs is scratchy surfaced mulch scattered on the ground. For example, crushed eggshells, limestone, wood ashes, sawdust, rosemary, oak leaves and other barriers like diatomaceous earth.

Crafty gardeners can fold 1.5-inch strips of aluminum foil and form a circle around vulnerable plants. Anchor the circles with hairpins. A new product on the market is a .002-inch thick copper sheet on a roll, that is cut into strips to place around plants and fruit tree trunks.

• Garden clean up: Hart says that cleaning up the garden and planting a cover crop can reduce next summer’s insect problems.

• Cover crops: There is still time to plant winter rye, members of the mustard family, vetch and many beans. They are grown over the winter and incorporated into the ground early in the spring to feed the soil.

• Solarization: Basically, the soil is covered with plastic so it is heated enough to kill insects and their eggs over a 90-day period.

To solarize a bed, remove the remains of any plants and rake the soil smooth. Water it well enough to create a 100-percent humidity under the plastic. This could also be done before the next rain.