Posted on January 22nd, 2012
With the recent news of pesticides being found in many of our food and drink, finding ways to garden without using insecticides is valuable. There are many beneficial insects that can help you grow plants and vegetables without any chemicals. Some plants actually attract these types of insects and can make it possible to grow organic with ease.
The most common insect that eats unwanted pests is the ladybug. These little red bugs are attracted to strong smelling plants, Marigolds, Dandelions, Yarrow, scented Geraniums and all types of herbs, especially mint and dill. A ladybug can eat up to five thousand aphids a day. They also eat other soft bodied insects and larvae.
There are several other types of beneficial insects that will eat bugs that harm your garden and surprisingly enough most of them are also attracted to all types of herbs and marigolds. It may be a good idea to inter-space these plants with vegetables for protection from the pests that can ruin your garden. Make sure you know which insects are beneficial and which are harmful so you do not destroy any of the good bugs. Some other varieties of plants to look for that attract these natural pest eaters are Lavender, Statice, Zinnia, Lobilla and Sunflowers. Make the beneficial bugs welcome by planting a smorgasbord of plants that they love to visit. They will in turn give you help with destroying insects that do your plants harm.
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