5. Good Organic Gardening - September-October 2016 AvxHome.in

PEST PATROL | Beneficial insects
Other major
players
Here are some of the main beneficial
insect species, but there are probably
hundreds of other good guys at work
in your garden right now.
• Bees
• Spiders
• Wasps
• Damsel flies
• Predatory beetles
• Dragonflies
• Butterflies
• Assassin bugs
Even flies and ants have important
roles to play, believe it or not.
Lacewing eggs
Attracting the
good guys
Most insects have various stages
within their lifecycles with varying food
preferences; even then, a lot of adults like to
have variety in their diets.
This can be in the form of nectar and pollen
as well as all those bad bugs they munch on.
Growing a varied range of flowering plants
and providing habitat for them to live and rest
in is the first step.
I have always called myself an eclectic
gardener. I like natives next to cottage
perennials and succulents — especially the
flowering aloes dotted all over the place —
along with edibles, all mixed in with flowering
annuals. It turns out that this accidental
biodiversity I have is perfect for encouraging
beneficial insects.
Lacewing
Australian hoverfly
Simosyrphus grandicornis
Step 1: What to grow
Annual flowering plants: Alyssum, cosmos,
linaria, sunflowers, zinnias, nasturtiums,
Queens Anne’s lace, marigolds, calendulas,
poppies, heliotrope
Perennials and shrubs: Daisies, buddleias,
salvias, flowering aloes and a good range
of natives such as callistemons, grevilleas,
melaleucas and more will bring not only the
good bugs but larger predators like birds and
small animals.
Herbs: Parsley, yarrow, dill, fennel, basil,
thyme, coriander, tansy, lavender, rocket,
mustard, chives, rosemary, thyme. You could
actually have some “sacrificial herbs”, such as
tansy, fennel and dill, which will attract aphids
and so give ladybirds something to eat.
With most of these plant species it’s the
flowers that do all the attracting. But they
will also work for you in many other positive
ways in the garden. If scented, they will
distract and confuse the bad bugs, as will a
Phytoseiulus persimilis
We should actually be grateful for the
so-called bad bugs, as they are more often
than not an important sign that something
is amiss in the garden. Killing them all off
can be a little like shooting the messenger.
garden with a variety of shapes and sizes of
plants and flowers. They will help disguise
your prized edibles if interplanted among
them and attract a great array of pollinators.
Step 2: Habitat
Plants are not the only key to attracting
beneficials. It’s important to create habitat
within your garden — for example, by
leaving leaf litter alone. Mimicking nature is
what it’s all about.
Logs and stones make great hidey-holes
for tiny creatures. Mulch can be a lot like
leaf litter, providing shelter and habitat.
Ponds, water features and even bog gardens
will attract a great range of good bugs and
even larger garden insect predators such as
frogs and lizards.
Mick Talbot CC, Graham Wise CC
60 | Good Organic Gardening