Pest expert and instructor of Pestapalooza Matthew Gates is back on the podcast! Today Matthew discusses how the health of your plant may or may not play into garden infestations, and how we often think about how pests take hold incorrectly. Matthew explains how simply interrupting the pests “economy,” and reducing their efficiency, will be a huge step in saving your garden. This goes against the “pest decides to attack or not” mentality, and Matthew emphasizes the need for more data and studies on plants’ abilities to resist pests of all varieties. Matthew also talks about beneficial insects, how to use them optimally in different types of setups, and how to incorporate them into your current IPM plan.