By conor mc keown

Organic gardening teaches us the difference between good insects and bad insects. In our zeal to get rid of insects in our garden, we often end up killing the good ones along with the bad ones. Do you know that an average square yard of garden can contain thousands of insects? The good insects help pollinate plants, break down organic matter, and kill the bad insects. In fact they are on our side in our war against pests. It makes no sense to kill them. If you observe the insects in your garden, you will see for yourself that some of them feed on others.

Create Biodiversity To Attact Good Insects

Organic gardening encourages gardeners to attract beneficial insects. Your organic garden should have sufficient biodiversity to allow the good insects to thrive. You must have seen large scale use of chemical insecticides in the production of commercial mono crops. This is simply because there is lack of biodiversity. This discourages the growth of good insects and as a result of this the bad ones thrive. To control the bad ones, farmers end up using chemicals.

How To Procure Beneficial Insects

Beneficial insects need two things- a proper habitat and food. Planting wild flowers around your crops will attract beneficial insects. A good variety of fauna and insects in your garden would ensure that the bad ones do not survive. You can also buy these insects from mail-order catalogs.To find out which beneficial insects thrive in your place, you could contact the local agricultural office. You could also go to your local library or simply browse the internet to get the information about good insects.

Good Insects- Bees, Butterflies, Wasps, And Earthworms

Bees are very important for pollination and so are butterflies. Encourage the growth of ladybugs as they are natural pesticides. Ladybugs feed on many insects, including aphids. The little alligator like insects are the larvae stage of ladybugs. So you should not kill them. Wasps are very effective against tobacco hornworms, which destroy tomato crops. Adult wasps lay their eggs on these worms. As they mature they eat the inside of the hornworms. Do not kill the wasps or the hornworms. Wasps need the hornworms to lay their eggs on.Earthworms are good for your garden. They do not cause any damage to the plants.

They feed on garden waste and turn it into organic compost. They also help in soil aeration.By using good insects, organic gardeners save on the insecticides. This causes least damage to the environment. You will have a lush green and healthy garden which can be easily sustained with the help of organic nutrients and good insects. Bear in mind that organic gardening is working with nature and not against it.

About The Author

C mckeown CEO http://www.organic-gardeningtoday.com