Many people who began gardening between 1940 and 1970 believed spraying everything in the garden with poisons was the only way to cope with plant pests and disease. Since then, many gardeners have found that this cure can be worse than the problem. Pests and plant diseases are primarily a nuisance where one crop is planted in a large area. A pest that attacks only wheat or peaches would find a paradise in a field of wheat...

Every summer I begin a new battle for control of my garden. Like clockwork, the war starts in early July when those red-backed invaders known as Japanese beetles arrive by land, sea, and air. They are voracious and merciless, true sluts of the garden-pest world — they seem capable of mounting and eating just about anything they land on. Worse, they can also be found engaged in disgusting orgies, up to a dozen creatures...