GIVE ALLIES FOOD

Some predators, like parasitic wasps, need other sources of food besides the pests they eat. The wasps require nectar that only certain umbel flowers can provide. The best way to make sure predators have the food they need is to plant a large diversity of plants, especially native perennial plants and flowers.

Create a Pond
Life needs water, and your garden allies are no exception. Too many slugs? You don’t have a slug problem, you have a frog deficiency, and frogs won’t come around without a pond.

Create Other Habitats
Adding things like mulch, logs, rocks, and lots of perennial plants to your garden will create diverse habitats for different allies. Again, find out what your pest predator needs, and give it to them.

Plant in Natural Patterns
Most people tend to plant a particular species into the same area of the garden. While this may save some time harvesting, it will cause more problems by giving pests an easy-to-find buffet of their favourite foods. Consider spacing smaller plantings out into different areas of the garden. This will keep the pests of a given species.

Release predatory beetles into the garden
Not all bugs or insects are harmful. In fact many are beneficial. Ladybugs and hoverflies eat aphids. Parasitic braconid wasps kill tomato hornworms. Paper wasps, spiders, and many other bugs and insects are very good for your garden. If you use a commercial all inclusive pest control powder, you’ll kill all the beneficial bugs and insects in your garden and you don’t want to do that. Be sure to plant flowers that attract these bugs and insects. Dill, tansy, coriander, Queen Anne’s lace, yarrow, buckwheat, sunflowers, sweet alyssum, lemon balm, and marigolds are wonderful choices.

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