Good Bug Bad Bug: Who's Who, What They Do, and How to Manage Them Organically

by Jessica Walliser

Good Bug Bad Bug, updated 2nd edition, is an indispensable field guide for quickly and easily identifying the most common invasive and beneficial insects in the garden; plus the best organic advice on how to attract the good guys and manage the bad guys - without reaching for the toxic chemicals. Includes strategies for dealing with the “new bugs in town,” those worrisome strangers that are starting to show up due to climate change (and some that have just flown in from abroad). Forty-one bugs, presented in full color on laminated card stock, with concealed wire binding. Sturdy enough to take into the garden for easy reference. An attractive gift book for adults and curious kids alike. The 2nd edition contains a number of color photographs not seen in the 1st edition and presents three new "bad bugs" to add to the rogues gallery of insect pests.

Additional "bad bugs" to be found in the 2nd edition:

The Grasshopper- which causes significant damage to the gardens of North America and can fly for miles.

The Lygus Bug - another significant North American pest, doing great damage to fruits, berries, vegetables and flowers; especially prolific in the South.

The Brown Marmoratted Stink Bug - a recent arrival from Asia that feeds on fruits, vegetables, berries and flowers, and has a nasty habit of invading our homes.

Genres: Gardening, Nature, Nonfiction, Reference, Environment, Horticulture

104 pages, Spiral-bound

First published June 1, 2008

About the author

Jessica Walliser co-hosts “The Organic Gardeners” on KDKA-Radio in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a former contributing editor for Organic Gardening magazine and a regular contributor to many national gardening publications. In addition, Jessica is the Acquisitions Editor for Quarto Publishing Group’s gardening imprint, Cool Springs Press.

Her two weekly gardening columns for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review have been enjoyed by readers for over ten years. Her fourth book, Attracting Beneficial Bugs to the Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control, was released by Timber Press in January of 2014 and was awarded the American Horticultural Society’s Book Award. Jessica’s 2018 title, Container Gardening Complete, teaches gardeners how to grow anything and everything in containers.

The former owner of a 25-acre organic market farm, Jessica received her degree in ornamental horticulture from The Pennsylvania State University. She’s taught a diverse array of gardening topics for over 25 years and is a former faculty member of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

She is author of the Amazon best-seller Good Bug, Bad Bug: Who’s Who, What They Do, and How to Manage Them Organically, and her forthcoming book, Gardener’s Guide to Compact Plants, is slated for publication in June of 2019. Jessica is a co-owner of the popular gardening blog SavvyGardening.com where you’ll find her writing about a wide diversity of gardening subjects.

Jessica lives and gardens northwest of Pittsburgh with her husband and son, six chickens, two cats, two hermit crabs, and billions and billions of very good bugs.

Reviews

[Mark Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Bug, Bad Bug: Who’s Who, What They Do, and How to Manage Them Organically, by Jessica Walliser, 2011. Wow, there is a lot to know here! Walliser takes the reader through descriptions of 27 of the most common insect garden pests (from Aphid to Whitefly), and 14 beneficial insects who prey on them. Reading the book certainly raised my awareness of the impact of various bugs, what they do to survive and thrive, and the kinds of things I can do to impede them, including helping the beneficial insects. That’s what I wanted – increased awareness, mostly, that will help me assist my garden’s health. I am sure in the past that I’ve ignorantly killed some beneficials, just assuming they were hurting the garden.

As a bonus, I learned some interesting related facts. Like the difference between a grasshopper and a locust (a grasshopper is only called a locust when it is swarming – or, swarming grasshoppers are locusts. And cicadas are not locusts at all, by the way). Or that radishes are in the Brassica family, along with cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc.

I’m happy to have read the book (yep, I read it straight through – it may be a little weak on plot, but made up for it in characterization and setting!). It will now serve as a pocket reference for the season’s observations.

[Jaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Included is an interesting but disturbing global warming warning to gardeners.
It is about how many insect species are shifting their ranges northward.
Gardeners will be dealing with new pests not seen in the northern areas before.

[Fernleaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great little introduction to garden bugs for the gardener wanting to learn about the ecosystems they are creating. This book is divided into two primary sections, 'good' bugs and 'bad' bugs, with information relating to identification, plants affected or host plants, preventative actions for pests and ways to attract for beneficials. It's all packaged into a small spiral-bound booklet with water-resistant pages so you can drag it out to the garden with you. Each page has multiple photos to aid with identification of life stages and/or plant damage.

This book is a good jumping-off point for insect identification, but it necessarily limited in scope. Some 'bugs' aren't found in all parts of the county and many of the beneficials are treated as groups.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've purchased from Jessica and it was a slam dunk! This book is quite thorough and tells you the good/bad/ugly about all the bugs in your garden. Really helped me stop wasting money on chemicals.

My favorite part of the book is her laid back writing style. When reading this book, it didn't feel like I was reading a science book or even a nature book. It was a very relaxed read without many scientific words.

I would suggest grabbing this book for any gardener out there big or small.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, easy to use reference guide on garden insects, both good and bad. This flip book presents clear photos and insights into habitat for various bugs and offers realistic organic suggestions for preventing pest bugs.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reference book. Find out what’s eating your plants and how to (organically) control them!

[Karen Soanes]

I read it cover to cover and this is going to be such a useful resource come this summer.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

be fun to own this one, quick reference book

[Kristen Iworsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource to have, but I wish there were more examples of pests/beneficial bugs.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrifically Useful! Pictures and a focus on natural remedies.

[Katie R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good review for all my bug classes in college, and a good motivator for the new garden!

[Johnette DeRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for help with insects!

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very handy little book about bugs. I'm trying to have a successful organic garden, for the second year in a row, and living in southern Maryland, we're just swamped in bugs, good and bad. Last year I made the mistake of not realizing that I needed to attract the good bugs, and instead got decimated by the bad ones. This year I'm being a lot more proactive. So this guide helped me be more aware of which bugs I need to look out for, both good and bad. I don't recommend reading through it before bedtime, like I did--you're bound to get the shivers and creeps, with so many creepy crawlers depicted and described. But it is useful information, for sure.
I will say that this book is probably better purchased as an addition to a gardener's library, than just borrowed from the library like I did. I am sure I've retained some of the knowledge in this book, and definitely the principles (attract good bugs by having plant habitats that they prefer, for example. And repelling bad bugs with plants they don't like. I bought a lot of flowers and herbs to add to my food garden this year.) But I know I'll have bug damage later this year, and won't be able to remember which of the bad bugs it sounds like, and will need to research it again. This definitely seems like a good investment, especially for the beginning organic or natural gardener.

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book for sale in a gardening catalog, so I ran right out to my local library to get it. Yes, lots of color photographs! Walliser says that 90% of bugs are benign or beneficial and only 10% are pests, so it's important to know how the bugs in your garden fall. Each pest page includes a picture, description, spot the damage, plants they attack, live biological controls, preventive actions, and organic product control. Each beneficial page includes a picture, description, life cycle, pest they control, and how to attract and keep them. This 100 page book obviously can't include every bug, but I feel like it was an excellent start on my entomology education. (Possibly also a good start for bug identification for kids.)

[Ann Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any gardener worth his salt has worried about the telltale signs of leaf damage, bore holes and all manner of infestations. This little book is real gem, with color photographs of some of the most common pests, signs of leaf damage and what to do to eradicate the infestations. Deference is given to control by natural predators as opposed to chemical sprays, too. Even the younger set will appreciate this concise rendering and colorful presentation.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book! Now, I do not have a garden currently, however, when I was younger my brother and I would try to create our own every year. Sadly, they never quite flourished like we would have liked. In reading this book, it might be because of the bad bugs! I never quite thought that the bugs could be the reason why our gardens every year seemed to fail! This book brought some new light to my brother and my failures in gardening.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a beginner gardender. I started this year learning the basics and that inclues bugs. I hate bugs so they are all bad to me. I must say after reading this book it has made me rethink. In fact I have been making plans on what plants to buy next year to attract the good ones. I am sure this is basic information in the book but for me I have found this a great start. I have been able to take the book out and compare the bugs in the book to the one on my plants.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was very basic and missed many, many bugs. But it would give you a general idea of whether you want a given bug to stick around. It really only deals with insects in gardens. Nevertheless I learned a lot.

[Little Pearl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, informative handbook.

[Schnookable · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice little field guide to help your garden thrive

[monica gears · Rating 4 out of 5]

a bug book is a must have if you have a garden of any kind. This one I picked up at barnes and noble the other day and straight to the point and informative.