Weeds and bugs can be a problem in your yard and garden. All pests need water, shelter and food to live. Yards and gardens provide many, if not all, of these things. The best way to manage pest problems is to prevent them from happening.

It is important to find the best and least toxic way to remove the pests. By using fewer pesticides, you increase the safety of people and the environment and preserve the natural enemies of the pest.

While it may seem easier to use a pesticide to treat your entire yard or garden to remove one pest, pesticides kill more than the pest you are targeting. They will also kill the "good bugs" that help to maintain a healthy balance in your yard and garden, and can get into local streams and rivers.

Residential property owners use more pesticides, on a pound per acre basis, than farmers do. It's possible to have a nice yard without using large quantities of pesticides.

Here are tips to manage pests in your yard:

Grow pest resistant plants, shrubs, and trees.

Avoid hurting tree trunks with mowers and weed whackers.

Put mulch at tree bases.

Keep an adequately-fertilized lawn.

Hand dig and spot-treat weeds.

Only use pesticides like insecticidal soaps and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

Pay attention to organic matter, watering and other conditions for healthy plants.

Do not grow the same types of plants (e.g., tomatoes, peppers, eggplant) in the same place each year.

Grow composite flowers for the good insects to land and feed on (such as Queen Anne's lace, daisies, fennel, dill). Limit pesticide use to attract these insects.

Do not mow the grass to less than two to three inches. Improper mowing is one of the most common causes of weed invasion. Mowing heights that are too short result in weakened turfgrasses. Most lawns should be cut at least two inches or higher.

Some bugs are good. Gardeners, especially, know how helpful the right kinds of bugs can be. Good bugs can be placed in your garden to eat the bad bugs.

Here are some helpful gardening tips:

Place plants that attract good bugs in your garden.

Buy native plants that can easily grow in your region and soil-type.

If possible, hand-pick the bad bugs.

Pesticides should always be your last choice. It is everyone's job to prevent lawn and garden pesticides from getting into storm water systems and, therefore, streams and rivers.

"Growing Green" is contributed by Lehigh County Extension Office Staff and Master Gardeners. Lehigh County Extension Office, 610-391-9840; Northampton County Extension Office, 610-746-1970.