Maximise your garden's growth with insects—find out what to buy here!
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A thriving garden is a testament to the gardener's dedication, skill, and patience.
Yet, despite adopting optimum nurturing methods, you might occasionally witness your plants succumbing to viruses or surrendering to swarms of aphids.
It's enough to let discouragement seep in, but hold on! A thriving garden doesn't mean it will be devoid of obstacles, but rather equipped to deal with them better, and that's where insect allies come in.
Think of your garden as an ecosystem teeming with life—every resident has both predators and prey.
Earthworms, for instance, feast on nematodes but make delectable treats for various birds.
Spiders, though often unjustifiably feared, eliminate pesky flies and in turn become prey for amphibians.
Similarly, using certain insects to combat garden pests could save you the trouble of deploying harsh chemicals.
Ladybugs: Pretty but Not as Practical as They Appear
Packets of ladybugs promising the elimination of destructive aphids have become commonplace at gardening stores. However, these naturally harvested insects have their drawbacks.
Intensive wild harvesting adversely affected ladybug populations, leaving a space for the invasive Asian lady beetle to establish itself.
Furthermore, introducing wild ladybugs could also bring along potential parasites.
Ladybugs are also picky eaters and don’t feed on lupine aphids.
Their conditions for staying are also quite specific as they need to be deployed at twilight and prefer moist environments.
Often, you'll find your purchased ladybugs take a munch at the aphids and move on.
Understanding Your Yard: The Key to Effective Bug Deployment
Creating the right environment for the beneficial insects goes a long way.
Attracting native wildlife, such as bats, birds, and amphibians, with appropriate shelter and water features, naturally curtails pests like snails, slugs, rodents, and aphids.
Not all solutions need to be biological as well—non-toxic sticky traps or tape can wave off many unwanted pests.
Meet Your New Insect Allies
Combatting soft-bodied pests like aphids often necessitates reinforcements in the form of insects like green lacewings, assassin bugs, or minute pirate bugs.
These choices should be informed by the conditions in your garden—minute bugs act quickly, but assassin bugs are more tolerant of heat.
You'll want to ensure the insects are introduced where they can attack the pests directly—into the soil or on the plants.
Nematodes, which are microscopic organisms, can also handle pests living in the soil or those that have pupal stages. They help control moths, weevils, cutworms, maggots, borers, and even termites.
However, various kinds of nematodes exist, so choosing the right match for your specific pest situation is crucial.
Another much-admired ally is the praying mantis. These impressive insects are incredible pest controllers. They can be purchased in their egg case (ootheca) and introduced to your garden when the temperature is consistently over 15°C.
Purchasing these beneficial insects is not quite the same as popping down to your local gardening store.
You'll want to source these insect allies from specialists like Arbico or Sound Horticulture.
Their customer support can guide you on the kind of insects to use, how many, and when and where to release them in your garden.
Members, do you have other tips and advice about natural pest management? Share them with us in the comments below!
Yet, despite adopting optimum nurturing methods, you might occasionally witness your plants succumbing to viruses or surrendering to swarms of aphids.
It's enough to let discouragement seep in, but hold on! A thriving garden doesn't mean it will be devoid of obstacles, but rather equipped to deal with them better, and that's where insect allies come in.
Think of your garden as an ecosystem teeming with life—every resident has both predators and prey.
Earthworms, for instance, feast on nematodes but make delectable treats for various birds.
Certain insects may be helpful in eliminating unwanted pests in your garden. Image source: rawpixel.com on Freepik.
Spiders, though often unjustifiably feared, eliminate pesky flies and in turn become prey for amphibians.
Similarly, using certain insects to combat garden pests could save you the trouble of deploying harsh chemicals.
Ladybugs: Pretty but Not as Practical as They Appear
Packets of ladybugs promising the elimination of destructive aphids have become commonplace at gardening stores. However, these naturally harvested insects have their drawbacks.
Intensive wild harvesting adversely affected ladybug populations, leaving a space for the invasive Asian lady beetle to establish itself.
Furthermore, introducing wild ladybugs could also bring along potential parasites.
Ladybugs are also picky eaters and don’t feed on lupine aphids.
Their conditions for staying are also quite specific as they need to be deployed at twilight and prefer moist environments.
Often, you'll find your purchased ladybugs take a munch at the aphids and move on.
Understanding Your Yard: The Key to Effective Bug Deployment
Creating the right environment for the beneficial insects goes a long way.
Attracting native wildlife, such as bats, birds, and amphibians, with appropriate shelter and water features, naturally curtails pests like snails, slugs, rodents, and aphids.
Not all solutions need to be biological as well—non-toxic sticky traps or tape can wave off many unwanted pests.
Meet Your New Insect Allies
Combatting soft-bodied pests like aphids often necessitates reinforcements in the form of insects like green lacewings, assassin bugs, or minute pirate bugs.
These choices should be informed by the conditions in your garden—minute bugs act quickly, but assassin bugs are more tolerant of heat.
You'll want to ensure the insects are introduced where they can attack the pests directly—into the soil or on the plants.
Nematodes, which are microscopic organisms, can also handle pests living in the soil or those that have pupal stages. They help control moths, weevils, cutworms, maggots, borers, and even termites.
However, various kinds of nematodes exist, so choosing the right match for your specific pest situation is crucial.
Another much-admired ally is the praying mantis. These impressive insects are incredible pest controllers. They can be purchased in their egg case (ootheca) and introduced to your garden when the temperature is consistently over 15°C.
Purchasing these beneficial insects is not quite the same as popping down to your local gardening store.
You'll want to source these insect allies from specialists like Arbico or Sound Horticulture.
Their customer support can guide you on the kind of insects to use, how many, and when and where to release them in your garden.
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