There is an amazing array of garden insects.  Many are quite beneficial to the gardener, but oftentimes they are mistakenly believed to be “pests”.  Today’s consumers have rigid standards on how their produce should look, leading to the grower having an intolerance to “bugs” and any deviations grown into our produce as a response to these critters.

     This pressure to satisfy our consumers have led farmers and seed companies to restrict genetic diversity in our crops, resulting in a plant’s lessening ability to ward off insects.  Their solution is to take genetic components from completely different plant species and implant the DNA into a crop, thereby creating a new crop (i.e. GMOs).  So then only this altered plant – to the exclusion of its’ relatives — is propagated.  This new crop may be protected against one type of insect, but is now left vulnerable to many other organisms – either native, or invasive insects from other parts of our country or world.   Think of the devastating invasions of gypsy moths of the ‘70’s, or Japanese beetles.  Both destroyed many farms.

     Aphids are highly present when growing roses.  In the past, growers of roses thought it was smart to completely eliminate aphids.  But when cleansed of the aphids a very noticeable drop in flower production occurred.  It was found that roses were in fact stimulated into much higher yields of flowers in response to aphids.  So now some aphid presence is seen in a positive light. 

     Crop rotation is a simple way to minimize the invasion of pests. Insects tend to be crop specific.  Growing the same crop in the same locale year after year results in favorable situations for insects to prosper – thereby creating a pest situation.  If we want to succeed against antagonistic insects and prosper in our gardening endeavors, aside from crop rotation, boosting quality by replenishing soil might be the single most controllable factor and can provide excellent results.  Our soil has an abundance of nutrients in very small amounts.  And plants have developed many subtle abilities allowing them to survive, even thrive in response to their interactions with endemic insects, whether they are on the plant or in the soil. 

     Listed below are some beneficial insects for the gardener: 

–Praying mantis eat many types of caterpillars and borers, grasshoppers, grubs, beetles and flies.
–Lady bugs eat dozens of aphids a day, mites, mealy bugs leaf hoppers and many small soft bodied insects.
-Lacewing enjoy a broad menu. Laying their eggs in larvae beds of white flies and aphids.  They start eating bugs from day one whether the bugs are in larvae or adult phases.
–Wasps as of late are being understood to being wonderfully supportive of farming. They enjoy eating and feeding caterpillars to their young. And some species lay eggs directly into borers.
–Dragonflies start taking a heavy toll on mosquitoes where both share wetlands in their larvae stages.  Dragonflies also go after flies, moths, mayflies, and gnats, amongst others.
–Ground beetles consume many times their body weight daily. Often in the form of caterpillars, slugs, maggots and aphids.

Controlling garden insects can be a very constructive situation for the garden and gardener, from nurturing the soil to supporting a variety of insect allies.

 — P. Vorel