Beneficial Insects for Natural Pest Control
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At some point in time every gardener must deal with pest problems.
Pests are not only irritating but can spread diseases and destroy crops. From time to time we are all faced with the decision whether to swat, scratch or scream when pests come to visit.
Through advertising we have been taught to pick up a can of insecticide, hold our breath and spray. But now we are beginning to learn about the personal and environmental risks associated with the use of toxic chemical insecticides.
But there are plenty of natural ways to keep bugs off of your plants – that is, there are lots of ways to keep the bad bugs off while attracting the good ones.
Beneficial Insects
Many insects in your garden are not harmful at all. Good insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, wasps, dragonflies can be gardeners’ allies, helping to control the numbers of bad insects. Organic pest control strategies include getting good bugs to work for you in the garden.
Every pest has a natural enemy, the key to successful pest control is to identify the pest and it’s natural enemy, releasing the Beneficial Insect early when pest levels are low and let nature take it’s course. Beneficial Insects attack and destroy only insects; they will not bother people, plants or pets.
Ladybugs and praying mantises are voracious predators of many garden insect pests, including aphids, whiteflies, spider mites and mealy bugs. It is excellent solution for natural pest control. This insect is a very hungry one, all too happy to eat aphids, fruit flies, grasshoppers, moths, crickets, and house flies… but that is not all that they eat.
They also tend to eat those beneficial insects like lacewings and hover flies. It is possible to buy cases of ladybugs or praying mantis eggs, if you want to include this hungry insect in your garden.
Many of the pests we are trying to kill are developing a tolerance to chemicals thus making them harder to stop while the Beneficial Insects nature intended to control pests are being killed off.
But there is an alternative, a natural alternative, beneficial insects. Prior to the introduction of toxic insecticides in the 1940’s the use of beneficial insects for pest control was standard practice.
Both the California citrus crop and the Hawaiian sugar field were saved with the use of beneficial insects.
Every pest has a natural enemy, the key to successful pest control is to identify the pest and it’s natural enemy, releasing the Beneficial Insect early when pest levels are low and let nature take it’s course. Beneficial Insects attack and destroy only insects, they will not bother people, plants or pets.
Most people start using beneficial insects because of safety concerns and then after they realize they are easier to use, give better long term results, and are priced competitively.
When people stop using toxic chemicals natural predators such as ladybugs and green lacewing start to make a comeback, butterflies and birds are more plentiful. In no time at all the backyard has been transformed into a natural garden.
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Beneficial Insects for your Garden
