They nurture your soil, keep other insects at bay, polinize your flowers, and maintain mother nature's intended balance in every garden.
Introducing beneficial insects to the garden and flower beds has many advantages for the home gardener. These insects will work in your favor by keeping a high level of nutrients in the soil, including nitrogen; while also controlling destructive insects population by preying on them.
Beneficial insects are the most organic and sustainable solution for garden pest control in the long term. You may carefully consider this route for pest control if you are growing plants, fruits, or vegetables for human consumption.
But how can one actually "introduce" beneficial insects to the garden? Most of the time, beneficial insects are native and we just need to make small arrangements to invite them to move into our gardens.
The first thing to do is to observe your garden and determine if it has enough diversity. Companion planting; interspersing vegetables, herbs, and flowers; and insectary plant mixtures are effective ways to foil bad bugs, attract good bugs, and promote pollination.
Insects, like any other being, need water to survive. For them, water can come from nectars as well as raindrops. Water fixtures, like small birdbaths, will not only beautify your garden but also provide precious liquid to beneficial insects and birds. Consider this fix if you live in an area prone to dry spells.
Managing weeds and properly disposing of the garden debris is also a good practice to attract beneficial insects and reduce the host environments of bad bugs. Decaying matter in the garden is particularly attractive to crawlers and parasites that will not only feed on the decomposing material but will also eventually migrate to greener lands.
Finally, although nobody wants to host garden pests, we must acknowledge they are the food of the beneficial bugs. That's why you will want to maintain a low to medium size population of them in your garden. Otherwise, beneficial insects will move out to other areas with more reliable source of food. But, hey, don't worry about bad bugs population if other beneficial insects are thriving: As always, mother nature will find a way to keep the balance.
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