Bugs are incredibly important to a successful garden, and most bugs you find in a garden are beneficial, or good, bugs. Take some time to introduce yourself to your insect residents and learn a little bit about them.
1. “Round out” the triangle part of the wire clothes hanger, straighten out the hook part, and duct tape like crazy the now straight part to the wooden dowel. (Fig. 1)
Fig. 1: Tightly tape the straight part of the hanger to the dowel rod.
2. Fold the tulle in half and cut a triangle as shown. Stitch the long open sides together. (Fig. 2)
3. Fold the circular opening of the net over the round part of the wire hanger, overlapping by 1" (2.5 cm). Stitch all the way around to hold it in place. You now have an insect net! (Fig. 3)
Fig. 3: Loop fabric over the wire hanger and sew it in place.
4. In the garden, use a gentle sweeping motion of the net to capture an insect you want to closely study, as shown in the opening photo on page 78. Gently deposit the insect you catch into the glass jar and close the lid. Use your ID guides to find out what kind of insect you captured. It is probably a “good guy,” so open the lid and put him back where you captured him and say thank you! (Fig. 4)
Fig. 4: Identify the bug in the jar and release it when done.