We don’t like insects very much, not in our apartments and definitely not on our lush gardens. But be them downright ugly and scary, or, on the contrary, colored, cute and funny, insects play a very important role for the ecosystem. Many of them, Pest Control Allen TX experts say, have the utmost importance for the healthy thriving of your garden, turf, flower, vegetables and trees.
Pest control evolved in the last years. Sometimes back in the day, every bottle or box which had the word “kill” on it was a good choice. But being armed with chemicals and powders is not environmentally friendly. Their use ultimately harms the grass, the soil and endangers the health of people living there. Organic pest control is indeed an optimal solution, while the “controlled ecosystem” approach gains more and more fans as time passes.
This means that a landscape should be seen and managed in its entirety, plants, insects and pests combined. Today pest control Allen, TX and lawn care Plano, TX specialists come together and talk about four beneficial insects you want to have in the garden, as they work as the best pest control enforcers.
1. Lady Bugs
Attracted by fennel, dill or yarrow, these beautiful insects are true pest control knights: they feed on aphids, mealybugs and mites usually. Their larvae are also good companion insects for your garden, as they can harm dozens of garden pests as well, simply because they’re always hungry. Lady Bugs are also good pollinators, as they love pollen flowers, so keep them close and enjoy their presence.
2. Ground Beetles
You can’t see them too often, as they are nocturnal and love a good game of hide-and-seek, but they can ravage more than fifty caterpillars in one night. They love to prey on cabbage maggots, slugs and snails, cutworms and many other pets that crawl at the soil level or in the underground. These beetles are predators and they need a nice, cozy habitat to thrive, so you might want to think about some perennial plants to give them a stable home.
3. Lacewings
Lacewings are cute insects which don’t make you want to run away screaming. On the contrary, you might want to find them a good place to stay inside your ecosystem, as they, together with their larvae, can get you read very quickly of aphids, caterpillars, scales, whiteflies and mealybugs as well. If you have some Angelica around, or some sweet alyssum around, cosmos and even coreopsis, be sure the lacewings will make an appearance.
4. Tachinid Flies
They don’t look that pretty and they are annoying, but they do an awesome job on exterminating caterpillars. Pest control Allen, TX experts, together with their landscaping Sachse, TX colleagues agree these flies are a bit sadistic when it comes to actually murdering caterpillars. Keep the tachinid flies close with parsley, dill and some sweet clover, and you won’t regret it.