SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Intercrop. Mix up your planting so that plants that draw beneficials are located among those that need their protection.

Humidify. Many beneficials are tiny and lose their precious body moisture quickly. They require a habitat humid enough to prevent dehydration and keep them active. This can be established by placing plants close together to create a shaded, moist microenvironment. Misting or constant drip irrigation will also contribute to raising moisture levels.

Releasing Beneficial Insects

If you plan to capture or buy and release bugs not native to your garden, be certain that you have targeted your pest problems. Though many predators have a wide array of hosts, some are quite specific, and if their hosts are not present they must either relocate or die. Time the release of beneficials so that there is a sustainable level of feed (for both adults and larvae — nectar as well as pests). At times you may need to feed them sugar water or products such as Bug Chow. Manufacturers of commercial products claim these enhance the bugs' reproductivity and performance. Temper the number of beneficials you release with the level of your infestation problems. Too few predators won't be able to control the number of pests, while too many may produce competition that could result in other beneficials winding up as dinner.

Suppliers of commercially available predators or parasites often recommend repeat or staggered releases to best take advantage of the hosts' life cycles.

Insect Categories

There are two categories of beneficial insects that operate in two different ways. They may be host-specific, which means they seek out the pests their livelihoods depend on; or they may be more generalized, using a variety of pests for their needs. The means by which they eradicate our pests may be through either straightforward predation — whereby the beneficial hunts down the vermin and devours it; or parasitic — whereby the adult form lays eggs on or in the host's body and the emerging larvae destroy the pest from the inside out.

Parasites are more apt to be host-specific, and the adults are more likely to be nectar or pollen eaters than the predatory larval forms. Host-specific beneficials will zero in on a problem pest immediately, whereas the more general feeders will attack whatever is handy. Your individual pest problems should indicate which would be the more useful in your situation.

Unfortunately, nature doesn't give a rip as to which insects we prefer in our gardens. Survival for many depends on a diverse diet, which may at times include other beneficial insects. Be sure you are releasing a solution to a problem or you may find yourself with one form of beneficial ridding your garden of other forms.

A Bug for All Seasons

BEETLES

Though many beetles are bad news in the garden, a few have earned our appreciation. From the large ungainly ground beetle to the much adored ladybug (ladybird beetles), or ferocious soldier or tiger beetles, some of these bugs make dependable allies. Their habit of devouring insect pests make them formidable hunters in the garden.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print