Conserving Beneficial Insects & Mites (5803)

To conserve and protect beneficial organisms in your garden or landscape, provide water, food, cover, nesting places, and a diversity of flowering plants. Reduce or eliminate pesticide use or switch to careful timing of biorational, nonresidual pesticides such as insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, and B.t. products. Soaps, oils, and botanical pesticides have short-term effects on populations of beneficials compared to typical synthetic pesticides.

In addition, try to maintain a diverse habitat. Provide pollen and nectar sources for adult beneficials by growing a wide variety of annual and perennial flowers so that some plants are blooming at all times during the growing season. Provide water by misting or wetting down plants and mulch. This also cools the area during hot weather.  A diverse habitat of trees, shrubs, and other plants also provides shelter, hiding places and overwintering sites. Straw mulch is especially attractive to spiders.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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