To the Editor:

How does your garden grow? Ours could be better.

It’s not all that big: just a couple of raised beds, some asparagus and two grape vines.

Last year, they all did pretty well. This year, though, they have a bug problem. Actually, they’re covered with Japanese beetles.

I’ve discovered that the best way to deal with them is to put them into a jar with soapy water in it. When they sense danger, they roll off the leaf they’re on right into the jar. Problem solved, right?

Not so much, no. I can kill 300 to 400 in a single picking, but the next time I go out, just as many await me on the green beans, asparagus and grapevines.

“Why?” you ask. Well, last summer we had a few beetles, but last winter wasn’t cold enough to kill them, so this year they’re back with a vengeance. An (University of Wisconsin) Extension agent told a friend of mine that the cause is simple: climate change.

According to climate scientists, climate change will also result in Wisconsin receiving far more rain than it has in the past. So far, this has been the wettest year in recorded Wisconsin history. That’s been fine for my garden, but not so good for some Wisconsin farm fields. The accompanying winds have also wreaked havoc in our cities.

Urge Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Ron Johnson and Rep. Ron Kind to back the carbon fee and dividend legislation to reduce the carbon pollution causing climate change.

Dan Dieterich

Stevens Point