I’m calling it OPM, which stands for Oliver’s Pest Manage-ment. It should not be confused with IPM, or Intergrated Pest Management, which recommends choosing the least risky management methods (crop rotation and trapping for example), and using pesticide sprays as a last resort.

 

OPM has only one guiding principle: all insects — even cabbage loopers, army worms and harlequin bugs — are living beings and should not be squished or drowned in soapy water. If certain bugs are eating more than their fair share of the garden vegetables, they should be carefully captured in jars and relocated away from the garden.

 

This bug-friendly approach was inspired by an incident in one of last year’s garden classes: A few seasoned garden students had discovered cabbage loopers on the cabbages and collard greens and were excitedly picking them off and stomping on them. I was applauding their initiative. Oliver Dillard (photo above), a fourth grader who was new to the after-school garden program, was horrified.

 

I tried to gently explain to him the good bug/bad bug rationale. That gardeners try to encourage good bugs in their gardens and discourage bad bugs. And that some bad bugs have to die because their numbers become so great that they ruin our harvest.

 

But Oliver wasn’t buying it. “They’re just trying to live their lives. They’re not bad bugs.” And then he sat down and started crying.

 

Several students rushed to comfort him, including one of the cabbage looper stompers. I sat down next to Oliver, too.

I told him he had made a good point and that I would give his concerns serious thought and consider making changes before the next school year. He thanked me.

 

The new school year is now well under way and cooler weather is around the corner, which means it’s time to be on the lookout for hungry cold crop bugs. We’re also scoping out possible relocation sites that are far away from the garden but still on campus. Along the fence line at the far end of the soccer field might be a good spot. Or maybe the drainage ditch on the other side of the parking lot.

 

After the bugs are released, will some of them find their way back to the garden? Maybe. Will some be eaten by birds or other critters before they find their way back? Probably. But no matter the outcome, and no matter how hard it is for me to let a collard-chomping harlequin bug go free, I’m committed to trying OPM for at least one year.

 

Thanks, Oliver, for opening my eyes to a new way to model compassion and kindness in the garden.❦