Post date: Jun 5, 2020 10:43:40 PM
Most predatory insects - bugs, wasps, flies - that help your gardens have already hatched in the Spring. They will go through many life cycles before overwintering.
Many of their food sources are young caterpillars, soft bodied worms, and insects. Since these also are in abundance in Spring, if you have overwintered predator populations in your garden, they will have enough food.
However, as summer begins, many of these beneficial insects will not find food. You have to step up and ensure that your gardens have enough nectar and pollen to keep them alive. Presence of food sources will also bring them into your yard.
Flowers of the Asteraceae family are rich in nectar. In our gardens in Atlanta these include marigolds, sunflowers, cosmos, coreopsis, gaillardia, and calendula. Lacewings, hoverfies, parasitic wasps, the top summer predators, love these flowers. You won’t have aphids if lacewings come in. They prey on aphids voraciously and decimate the population in a matter of a few days. They also eat mealybugs, caterpillars, inchworms, white flies, and moths. You must love them.
Flowers with nectar and pollen will also support a huge range of beneficial insects. Flowers of your fruiting plants such as tomatoes, gourds, eggplants are also good sources of nectar and pollen.
Many of the larger bugs that are active predators tend to live in the ground and love ground covers. Ensure that your garden is mulched and also have green covers. These are habitats for these beneficial insects. Even grass supports many of these predators.
We spoke about sweet potatoes and nectar in another note. Grow creepers that offer ground cover and flower copiously - squashes, pumpkins, melons are all great sources of nectar and pollen and also offer cool ground covers. Food and shelter from the summer heat is what these predators need.
The third set of plants to grow in the summer are flowering and aromatic herbs. Catnips, mint, basil, oregano and such herbs will host a large number of predatory wasps and flies. Place them in your plant beds along with your normal crops.
Herbs grow quickly in the summer and flower before Fall. They offer a good source of nectar for many beneficial insects.
You don’t have to search for nasturtium and try to grow it in the heat of summer. You have the time to still sow herbs - sprinkle the seeds on the beds. You can direct sow ground covers we mentioned above. Bring the flowering plants we mentioned - they are all summer plants ready to grow now. Sprinkle seeds if you have them.
Two notes of caution: First, if you spray pesticides, even if they are organic or potions from your kitchen, you may kill some of these good insects too. Be careful before using sprays in the yard.
Second, exercise discretion about picking flowers. The purpose of the flower is to provide food for many tiny lives. Don’t bring them in and deprive those creatures.
Every flower that has bloomed has offered itself to the world as it opened its petals. Pause before you pick and bring it in to create garlands and ostentatious floral poojas that leaves a few million insect lives hungry. God may not have desired that.