by Sammy Stein

Created on: April 08, 2009

Many insects are beneficial to your garden and act as natural pest control. If you attract the right ones, you will find you create s self-sustaining ecosystem in your yard that hardly ever needs intervention.

First, which insects are we talking about here? We are talking largley about predatory insects like ladybirds, hoverflies and millipedes- those that feed on other insects which are harmful like aphids, centipedes, red spider mite and blackfly.

For every pest there is a predator naturally and it is by attracting these to your garden that you can control pests without resorting to chemicals. How this works is that most pests are primary consumers in the food web, eating green matter - namely, your plants. Predator insects are second in the food chain and feed mainly on primary consumers, which mean they do not feed directly on plants but indirectly by consuming insects which have already eaten plant material. So, by attracting them, you are not risking further damage to your plants.

These insects in turn will attract higher predators like birds who will eat them, the primary insects and other harmful pests like slugs and snails so attracting insect predators to your garden not only gets rid of pest insects but attracts other animals to help in your natural pest control.

To attract predatory insects to your garden it is important to create an evvironment which suits them. Most predatory insects live in the soil and will increase in numbers so long as the soil itself is a good environment. This means that it should have relatively high amounts of organic material, good air content and not be waterlogged. This will attract predators like millipedes who eat not only other damaging insects but also harmful nematodes and eelworms which can be pests just as much as insects.

Dig the soil well and remove weeds. Make sure the soil structure is such that is is easily worked, retains moisture and has a good amount or organic material. Home made compost will make a great mulch and attract things like earthworms who in turn create air channels and help drainage which creates an aerobic environment where beneficial soil fungi, bacteria and insects thrive.

To attract insects which come to eat pests on your plants, like ladybirds, you should provide a chemical free environment and a nesting place for them. Ladybirds overwinter in masses of bugs and like crevices which remain undisturbed. Their larva devour aphids and eggs are laid in the spring close to where the ladybirds over-winter

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