Insects play an important role in orchard biodiversity. A host of insects provide pollination services for fruit trees, spreading the pollen from these trees around an orchard in exchange for nectar. Bees have long been kept for this service, and for the honey that they make with this nectar. Other insects breakdown decaying orchard plants, waste and other organic matter, serve as a food source for orchard wildlife, and keep pests in check. Insects find homes in orchard soils, grasses, hedges, tree bark, leaves and branches, manure from livestock and wildlife, etc. Without insect life within an orchard it would cease to be an ecosystem, and fruit production would be an extremely costly venture.
Some insects commonly found in traditional orchards include:
Earwigs
Bees
Moths
Butterflies/Caterpillars
Wasps
Aphids
Flies
Hornets
Beetles
Ants
Worms
Slugs
Mites
Gnats
Spiders
Snails
Woodlice
Centipedes
Millipedes