Beneficial insects

As all gardens there is always an infestation of some type of pest. A great way to control the pests is to look at the food chain and find the pests predators (beneficial insects). All you need know is how to attract the beneficial insects to your garden. By doing this you cut out chemical sprays that are hazardous to your health and your surroundings.

Beneficial insects are insects that help you to grow plants naturally. Bees for example and other pollinators are beneficial insects. In the beginning when you start attracting beneficial insects to your garden you will find that the pests increase for a short period of time. You need the beneficial insects to settle in and lay eggs to attack the pests you want to get rid of. Remember do not use toxic chemical sprays. This will only destroy the entire process of symbiosis.

There are many ways to invite beneficial insects to your garden. Build an insectary. This can be outside the normal landscaping area. Plant flowers in the insectary earlier than the other flowers in the garden. By the time the other plants are blooming the beneficial insects can be released onto the mites and aphids. Also use a variety of flowers for example tall daisies attract hover flies whereas thyme attracts ground beetles. All insects drink water; thus, find a place where you can put a saucer of water with rocks around it. Mulch helps ground beetles to stay moist and not dry out.

Get to know the beneficial insects:

All kinds of Bees

Lady Bugs

Butterflies

Lacewings

Praying Mantis

Dragon Flies

Earthworms

Ground Beetles

and Spiders to name a few.

Introducing beneficial insects can take time. There is no need to treat plants with harmful fertilizers or chemicals. As soon as a balance is established the garden is self-sufficient creating the best of both worlds for the enthusiastic gardener.