Do We Need Insects For Our Garden?
10 Beneficial Insects For Gardening
- Aphid Midge: These insects look like a delicate, small wasp. The larvae eats more than sixty varieties of aphids from the garden. You can attract them by growing plants with a lot of pollen and nectar.
- Big-Eyed Bug: This is a fast-moving bug with large eyes and very small black spots on it’s head and thorax. They are usually found in field crops and orchards. The big-eyed bug eats leafhoppers, spider mites, plant bugs, aphids, and small caterpillars. This bug is a real asset to gardening.
- Ladybug: The ladybug ranges in size from 1/16 to 3/8 inch and have round red, orange or yellow bodies with black markings. They prefer gardens that have a large amount of pollen and nectar-producing flowers. The ladybug is fond of aphids, mealybugs, small insects and scales. The Mexican bean beetle is related to the ladybug but is not beneficial.
- Minute Pirate Bug: These bugs are 1/4 inch long in adulthood and feature a black and white pattern. Fast-moving like the big-eyed bug and attracted to gardens where goldenrod, yarrow, alfalfa, daisies, and other flowering, pollen-producing plants are grown. They eat small caterpillars, thrips, spider mites, insect eggs and immature leafhoppers.
- Mealybug Destroyer: The adult mealybug is 1/3 inch long with an oval body and a coral-colored abdomen. Their wing covers are black. If mealybugs are present, the mealybug destroyer is there naturally and feeds on mealybugs in the garden.
- Spined Soldier Bug: An adult grows to ½ inch in length. They are grayish brown and the shoulders of the thorax come to sharp points. Bugs of choice are caterpillars, armyworms, grubs, sawflies, and Mexican bean beetle larvae. The spined soldier bug likes the shelter of perennial plants near a garden.
- Tachinid Fly: These bugs look like large, hairy houseflies and grow to a length of 1/3 to ½ inch long. The females deposit eggs that kill caterpillars of many pest species such as gypsy moths and armyworms. The adults feed on flower nectar and enjoy sweet clover, parsley and dill. Don’t kill the caterpillars with white eggs attached to them because the eggs will turn into more tachinid flies.
- Tiger Beetles: Look for adults that range in length from ½ to 3/4 inches. They are long-legged and bright-colored and eat many kinds of pests. Plant perennials when gardening and the tiger beetles should follow.
- Assassin Bug: This bug is ½ to 1 3/8 inches long and have a flattened look and elongated heads. They eat most common pests and are found naturally in any garden where pests live.
- Bumblebee: The adults grow to 1 inch long and are plump with yellow and black striping. They have a hairy body and smoky-colored wings. The bumblebee is a pollinator and is attracted to pollen and nectar flowers.
It’s important to attract beneficial insects to your garden. They pollinate and can rid your garden of unwanted pests.
Concerned About The Environment? Try These Organic Gardening Tips Today!
Is there really a secret to successful gardening? People who are unsuccessful at growing fruits and vegetables seem to think so. But the truth of the matter is that anyone can garden organically if they only receive the right information. Use these great gardening tips to go organic and to get that garden you’ve always wanted.
Install a fan to blow on your seeds. Make sure your fan is turned on a very low setting. This light touch will help your plants grow stronger. You can also stroke your plants very lightly with your hand or a piece of paper for a few hours to get the same effect.
Make liquid fertilizer from your compost. By adding a little bit of water to the biological decay, you can harvest the nutrient rich concoction and spread it on your plants in an efficient way. By fermenting the compost with about an equal amount of water can give you a great form of liquid fertilizer that will help promote growth without negative side effects or toxic run-off.
Use mulch in your organic garden. Mulching helps retain moisture, and helps provide nutrients to your growing plants. You should try to use at least a three inch layer of mulch in all of your beds. It will also make your garden beds look as if they were professionally finished.
You can gain time by renewing your beds with this method: slice under the turf and turn it over. Cover it with wood chips and wait a few weeks. You can then use this bed to plant your perennial plants. The ground you have turned over should be made richer by the turf that is under it.
The best time to pick most home-grown herbs is at the break of dawn in the morning when you see dew on the plants. Picking the youngest shoots give the best flavor and helps keep the plant pruned. Most herbs can be frozen in zipped plastic bags and will keep fine for up to six months.
Get rid of Japanese beetles. Once quite rare, and only found in the eastern United States, these pesky beetles are now moving west. They attack many different types of herbs and vegetables and are difficult to eradicate once established. Handpick them in the early morning by shaking tree limbs and branches. Bait them by mixing together water, sugar and mashed fruit. Place this concoction in a sunny spot at least 1 inch off the ground. Strain out the beetles every morning. Plant ‘trap’ crops between vegetables and flowers: Japanese beetles favor marigold, borage and evening primrose. If you plant these throughout your garden, they will naturally navigate toward those specific plants.
Secrets aren’t really well-kept in the world of organic gardening, so you can’t really call them secrets at all. What you’re looking for is thorough and accurate information like what you’ve just read in the article above. If you can find this, you can become a successful organic gardener. Make sure you use this information.
