Use Plants to Control Pests

Controlling insect pests with beneficial insects requires providing alternative food sources for beneficial insects when the pest population is small. Alternative food sources for beneficial insects consist of pollens and nectars of some plants native to your region.

Some beneficial insects worth attracting to your yard are ladybugs, lacewings, hover-flies, parasitic mini-wasps, ground beetles, tachinid flies, minute pirate bugs, spiders, and praying mantis.

Actually 90% of the insects in the environment are not pests but beneficial insects. Only 10% of the insect species in the environment are pests but if the environment in your yard gets out of balance 100% of the insects can be pest species.

Some things that can cause the environment in your yard to become unbalanced are the use of pesticides and plant monocultures. A plant monoculture is when an entire area is planted to one species of plant such as what happens in large fields or yards with large expanses of lawn.

How to Attract Beneficial Insects

The best way to attract beneficial insects is to plant a diversity of plants, interspersing those that attract beneficial insects with plants that attract pests. Planting native plants is a good way to attract beneficial insects because they will attract native beneficials so you don’t have to buy beneficial insects.

Avoid planting large expanses of one plant species Also don’t plant your vegetable garden in the location more than two consecutive years.

Another consideration is to make sure the combination of beneficial insect attracting plants includes plants that bloom at different times of the season so that a continuous supply of pollen and nectar is available throughout the growing season.

Most important be patient and don’t get the pesticides out at the first sighting of an insect pest. Even organic pesticides can be detrimental to beneficial insects and should only be used as a last resort. Usually a small population of pests are necessary to keep beneficial insects in your garden.

Since beneficial insects rely on pest insects for at least a portion of their life cycle, at least a few pest insects must be present or the beneficial ones will leave your yard in search of the pests that sustain them.

Also keep in mind that even with chemical pesticides, eradication of insect pests is not possible. In fact if any pesticide is over used on a given species that species eventually develops pesticide resistance and are harder to control. Realize that some damage to vegetables and flowers may not be avoidable and don’t expect 100% on your crop of flowers or vegetables will be blemish free but with the use of beneficials the majority of your crop will be beautiful.