Beneficial Insects in the Garden
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
Most people think immediately of getting rid of pests around the home the minute they see them. However, some insects are quite beneficial to the garden, and can help control destructive insects that may eat your vegetables and decorative plants. So, before you grab the bug spray, learn a little more about beneficial insects, and help your garden thrive.
Bad Insects
Insects that are bad for your garden include sucking insects, such as aphids, which can suck the life giving nutrients right out of your plants. Other insects that can harm your garden are caterpillars, beetles, and grasshoppers, to name a few. You can use pesticides to control these insects, but pesticides are not always the right answer, especially on crops you want to eventually eat. Using beneficial insects to control these pests makes more sense for a number of reasons. It is better for your garden, and if you don't have to spend large amounts of money on unhealthy pesticides.
Good Insects
There are many beneficial insects already living in most gardens, like ladybugs, praying mantis, and lacewings. Many of these insects are now available at garden centers, so you can introduce them into your garden quite easily if they are not there already. Other good insects to have around the garden are parasitic wasps, ground beetles, and assassin bugs. All of these bugs feed on harmful insects during all or part of their life cycles, and are definitely a good inclusion in just about any garden.
Sheltering Beneficial Insects
These and many other beneficial insects enjoy plants that produce large quantities of pollen and/or nectar, which attracts other insects. Some of these plants include yarrow, fennel, and goldenrod. If you plant some of these in your garden, you'll give shelter to beneficial insects, and set up natural pest control in your garden. Some of these insects only hunt other insects at certain times during their lifecycles, and they need nectar and pollen to survive during other times. Using beneficial insects to control pests is not a new idea. As it catches on, more beneficial insects will become available to the consumer, and fewer pesticides will be needed, which is a good thing for the environment all around.