There are two ways beneficial insects are introduced into our gardens either by attracting them with certain plants or purchasing them from our garden center or plant nursery and making our garden a home for them by releasing them in our landscape or garden area. Nature has a way of going the safe way to ensure that our edible garden and ornamental plants are not contaminated by harmful pesticides that can drift off or be carried by the wind polluting the air, harming beneficial insects and pollinators, wildlife, and getting into our water system some of which includes lakes, streams, ponds, rivers, etc…

Beneficial Insects Fall into Three categories

Parasitizers: They lay their eggs in or on the bad bugs, and when the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the host insects. In this insect group are Parasitic wasps.

Pollinators: These groups of insects pollinate our garden flowers, among these groups are butterflies, moths, bees, flies, etc..

Predators: This group of insects eliminates garden insect pests by using them as a food source, some of these predator bugs include assassin bugs, ground beetles, lady beetles, ladybugs, green lacewings, etc..

How to Purchase Beneficial Insects

Before purchasing beneficial insects make sure they are alive and not dead or even sickly. If bugs are active on inspection that’s a good sign they are ready to go to work for you.

Setting your Beneficial Insects Free

Follow the directions on the package about how and when to release beneficial insects. For example, The best time to release beneficial insects is early in the morning or late in the evening

just when the sun is about to rise or set because the low light will help them not to be so active as to fly away but cause them to settle in their new home which is your garden.

Release beneficial insects in that part of your garden area where the bad bugs are most active so they can get to work and begin feeding. Just remember to follow the directions on the package on how to release them.

Ordering the eggs of many of these insects has proven to be beneficial. Simply sprinkle some of the eggs on and around the infected plant.

Plants that  repel bad bugs

An effective method of introducing beneficial insects into your garden and landscapes is installing plants that attract them. For example, the use of plants such as Anise, Parsnips, Parsley, Dill, Coriander, Tansy Lemon gem, are just a few among hundreds that can be used to attract these insects.

By using other plant species you get the best of both worlds because some of them that are used to repel the bad bugs can also be eaten. For example, planting garlic, basils, chives, thyme, rosemary, mint, onion, and spinach can prove very effective while providing herbs for your consumption.

Additional information to Encourage Beneficial Insects

• As mentioned earlier avoid using harmful pesticides and if pesticides are needed then go with organic.
• The best time to apply pesticides is during the early morning hours so pesticides have time to dry before beneficial insects become active.
• Installing flowering plants that produce flower blooms from early spring through fall will encourage beneficial insects and pollinators.
• Provide water for bees simply by adding water to a shallow basin or bowl, place the bowl in your garden, and place a rock tall enough so that the top is above the water. This will provide a resting place for bees and if they fall in the water they can climb out by climbing up on the rock. Butterflies can also use this rock as a resting place.
• Install plants that produce pollen and nectar.
• Keep your garden clean and tidy to reduce the spread of disease, this action will keep your plants healthy, also regular maintenance practices will keep your plants healthy which will discourage garden insect pests.
• Keep on top of weeds by putting a weeding program in place will not only produce a garden that’s attractive and clean but will reduce garden pests.
• A great way to manage garden pests is through crop rotation, for example, if you plant a certain crop in a particular area this year plant that crop in another area of your garden during the following year’s growing season.
• Companion planting is the practice of installing certain plant species among your garden plants that will attract beneficial insects while deterring garden insect pests.
• The use of integrated pest management is a safe practice for a healthy garden.
• During the fall months, allow some of the leaves that have fallen to remain, these leaves will serve as protection for beneficial insects to overwinter.

Conclusion

Not all insects are bad, many of them are hard at work in our gardens protecting and keeping our plants safe. By introducing them into our gardens is a safe way to keep the bad guys under control. So the next time you take a walk in your garden take a closer look. You may see some of the good guys that are hard at work for you ensuring that your plants are healthy and pest-free helping to maintain a garden that you are proud of as you reap a bountiful harvest of your price plants.