What are Beneficial Insects?

Jerry J. Jansen — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:05:59 +0000

Some people might hear the phrase “beneficial insects” and think this is clearly a misnomer. How can insects possibly be helpful? Isn’t that why they are called “bugs” after all?

But in actuality, some of these pesky critters can prove immensely helpful to your garden.
Insects have natural enemies. By introducing beneficial insects to prey upon destructive insects that are eating plants, you have laid the foundation for an organic garden.

Ladybugs are an excellent example of a beneficial insect. These spotted beauties prey upon aphids and other similar soft bodied insects. Ladybugs are drawn to flower pollen and nectar which they need for reproduction.

All spiders eat insects, therefore proving to be extremely important to organic gardening.

Straw mulch is a huge draw to spiders, encouraging them to take residence in a garden. Garden variety spiders are not poisonous, and prefer to remain outdoors, so you need not worry about them following you inside.

Flower flies, which look a lot like little honeybees, are attracted to flowers and their pollen and nectar. These flower flies prey upon aphids and are able to get into tight spots other beneficial bugs can’t fit into. Flower flies are also active earlier in the season before other bugs, getting a head start warding off aphids in the spring. Flower flies are also helpful to pollinate berries such as strawberries and raspberries.

Wasps are an extremely important category of “good bug”. They are known to attack the eggs of other detrimental insects, keeping populations of “bad bugs” under control. They are attracted to gardens by flowers for pollen and nectar.

Ground beetles prey upon slugs, snails, cutworms and root maggots. In order to draw beetles to your garden, consider growing perennial ground cover or placing logs, stones or rocks nearby for them to burrow under.

With a little thought and planning you will attract the right kind of bugs that help you to sustain a beautiful garden chemically free.

Jerry J. Jansen
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Controlling Insects without Pesticides!

Jerry J. Jansen — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:37:24 +0000

Besides being deadly to insects and plants, pesticides can be unhealthy for humans and dangerous to the environment. While it may be tempting to buy a bug killer from the local hardware store or nursery to get rid of those pesky insects that seem to be invading your garden, there are other ways to control garden pests and insects without risking your health or hurting the Earth.

By spraying your plants with chemicals, you are defeating the purpose of pure and organic gardening. Organic gardening entails growing plants by using only what nature provides. An important part of this gardening system is insects and beneficial predators.

Most insects actually help keep their ecosystem running smoothly, but there are exceptions. The best way to make sure that unwanted pests stay away and the good bugs can live in harmony with the plants, is preventative measure.

By growing plants that are best suited to your climate, you will produce plants that are healthy and less stressed than plants that have to work harder to thrive within their environment. This will deter insects since they tend to attack plants that are in distress. Also, it is important to maintain the correct moisture and sun/shade level of your plants and to be sure that there is a diverse selection of plants so an infestation of a certain plant won’t destroy your entire garden.

By encouraging beneficial insects such as ladybugs and spiders, nature will take it’s course and keep the harmful bugs at bay. Creating an environment that invites frogs, birds, and even some snakes to cohabitate in your garden is another great way to control the pests in your garden.