by Michelle L. Dauberman
Spring is right around the corner but it’s not too late to start
planning your garden. Part of your
plan for 2017 may include weaning your garden off chemical pest control and you
may have heard that bio-controls can help you in this endeavor but you’re not
sure where to start.
Predatory insects (aka. beneficial insects) are a great
place to start. Yes, that’s right,
beneficial insects. Once you get
over the fact that you actually want these bio-controls/insects in your garden
you’re on your way to a healthy garden, better yields and a thriving ecosystem.
So, that’s all well and good but how do I attract the good
guys to my garden? Let’s start by
planting groups of host plants like Achillea filipendulina (yarrow), Cosmos bipinnatus (cosmos), Solidago virgaurea (goldenrod) and Aster alpinus (aster).
It’s a good idea to plant these hosts in groups since it
increases your odds of attracting/hosting predatory flies, lacewings, ladybugs,
hover flies and parasitic wasps to and in your garden. Once these predators are in your garden
they will begin to prey on the undesirables like aphids, mealy bugs and a
variety of insect larvae.
There are several other plants that you can utilize to your
garden’s benefit beyond what’s mentioned in this post so don’t limit yourself to
these plants and always experiment.
Another tip about host plants:
Stager your plants by flowering season. If you stager them by season you’ll experience more uninterrupted
bio-control coverage throughout your growing season.
For more information about beneficial insects check out
these PSU Extension links:
http://extension.psu.edu/pests/ipm/pestproblemsolver/house/home-garden/soil-plant-health/companion-plants
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