As gardeners, we spend so much time concentrating on the bad insects that eat our plants and destroy our fruits and vegetables that we may forget to appreciate the good insects. Insects are the main pollinators in the garden, orchard and for farm crops. Without them, we would not be able to produce the gorgeous blooms from flower seeds and the food we need to survive. There has been great concern in these last number of years over the decline in the honeybee population. More and more people are becoming aware of the growing concern and are providing habitat for the insects at the different stages of their life as well as planting more flower seeds to provide food for butterflies and other insects.
Besides pollination, many insects are predators of other destructive insects. They may eat the eggs of the bad bug, attack the bug in its larval stage or actually eat the mature bug. Either way, good bugs help keep the balance in nature. If you are an organic gardener, you use your knowledge of bugs to help you in the garden. Instead of spraying your plants, which will kill all insects and not just the target insect, use natural pest control whenever possible.
An organic gardener will identify the harmful bug and try to attract its natural predator to their garden. Today, some of the best predator insects are available for sale. A good example of this is the ladybug, which is effective against aphids. You can mail order ladybugs and release them where you have the aphid problem. They’ll stay as long as they have food, namely aphids. Ladybugs will lay their eggs near the aphid infestation so they can start feeding as soon as they hatch. Note: Ladybug larvae have the same coloration as the adult ladybug, but is shaped like an alligator and eats even faster and more aphids than their parent. Ladybugs and their larvae also will eat mites and mealybugs.
Another way to attract beneficial insects to your yard is to provide nectar. In other words, plant flower seeds in your vegetable garden. There are some excellent companion flowers that would be a great choice. In spring when there are not a lot of blooms for bees and other beneficial insects to eat nectar from, your garden will attract them if you plant flowers. Then, when your vegetables start to produce flowers, the bees will already be in the habit of visiting your garden.
Check out which butterflies are native to your area. Research what plants they need to lay their eggs on. The monarch population has had a serious decline in recent years. It was discovered that the cause was the lack of milkweed plants. This weed used to grow wild on the side of country roads and next to the rock line fences dividing farm fields. Today, the fence lines are being removed to allow mega-sized equipment to be used in farming. The ditches alongside the roads are now mowed. Monarch larvae can only eat milkweed plants. No milkweed, no monarchs. So, many gardeners have come to the rescue of the monarch by planting milkweed in their yards. Last year showed an increase in the number of monarchs. Find out what plant your native butterflies need to lay their eggs. If you provide the habitat and food and other butterfly-attracting flowers, they will return to your yard each year and you will enjoy these beautiful pollinators in your gardens.
Here are some other beneficial insects you want in your yard and garden besides bees, butterflies and ladybugs.
- Dragonflies and damselflies. Damselflies and dragonflies are very similar except the dragonfly body is a little bigger. Dragonflies and damselflies spend two years in the nymph stage in waters like a pond, river, swamp or lake. During that stage, they eat numerous small organisms, including mosquito larvae. As adults, they both use their superior vision to catch and eat flying insects. They are a huge consumer of adult mosquitos.
- Lacewing. These beautiful insects are voracious consumers of aphids. The lacewing adult can smell the honeydew that aphids excrete and will lay its eggs near the infestation. When the larvae hatch, they will eat as many as 500 aphids in just one month. The adult lacewing eats pollen and nectar from flowers, contributing to pollination, as well as the aphid honeydew.
- Ground Beetles. These bugs are the type that your first instinct is to squash it––but hold off. Ground beetles are black or brown with a hard shell and live in the decaying materials and mulch in the garden. They are nocturnal and do their feeding during the night. They feast on nocturnal pests like slugs, snails and cutworms. They like to overwinter in the perennial bed for shelter, but they will stay in the well-mulched garden also.
- Braconid wasp. This wasp is narrow and black, but can have an orange or reddish abdomen. It does not sting. The adult Braconid wasp lays its eggs on cabbage worms and tomato hornworms. When you see a caterpillar with rice-shaped cocoons on it, allow it to live. The larvae will eat the inside of the caterpillar and then grow into more wasps to control the destructive caterpillars.
- Mason Bees. These bees are smaller than a honeybee and are also known as orchard bees. They have a metallic green or blue body and do not sting. They are most active in the spring when orchards are in bloom. Mason bees collect pollen and roll it into a ball to feed its hatchling. These are the bees you will attract with Bee Hotels made with bundles of hollow bamboo. The mason bee will lay one egg and place a ball of pollen into the hole and seal it with mud. Of course, the mason bee is a terrific pollinator and, because of its smaller size, it can fit into flowers that are too small for the honeybee.
Remember: Not all bugs are bad bugs! To keep your garden organic, consider attracting the good bugs to produce the best flowers and vegetables and to keep the bad bugs away!