Laurie Reid Dukes is Charlotte’s assistant city arborist, ensuring our urban streets stay picture-worthy with cankerworm-free willow oaks.
Her knowledge of insects is impressive. She’s an entomologist—she has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in entomology from Clemson University—and she’s been working in forest health since 2004. Dukes studies insects, their environments, and their relationships with humans.
CHARLOTTE HOME + GARDEN: Let’s talk about one of summertime’s biggest downfalls: pests. Can we use any ol’ bug spray to solve the problem?
LD: There are many insecticide sprays on the market and, unfortunately, many of them are broad-spectrum insecticides, which kill all insects—both the beneficial and pest insects. The most common insecticides that can be found on the grocery store or big box store shelves are the broad-spectrum insecticides.
CHG: So there are good bugs and bad bugs. Which bugs are the good guys?
This story is from the Summer 2017 edition of Charlotte Home & Garden.
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This story is from the Summer 2017 edition of Charlotte Home & Garden.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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