Befriending Beneficials

It's one of the biggest insects I've seen outside of a museum in quite a while.

"What the --!?"  This afternoon, that phrase sprang forth as I stopped down to pull out a plantain that was growing by my strawberry patch.  There, resting on a strawberry leaf,  was a large dragonfly of a kind I had never seen before.  I'm not an expert but I think it is a common green darner. Normally, I'm comfortable with Midwestern insects as long as they are not crawling on me, but the surprise of seeing a large insect unexpectedly near my hand did startle me. 

Once I recovered from my surprise, I quickly grabbed the camera and had the kids come take a look.  They of course wanted to touch it, despite my admonishments stay back a bit and not scare it off.  After continuing to edge closer, the dragonfly became uncomfortable and flew off. 

Without thinking, people sometimes freak out or grab the insecticide when they see any insect.  But really, not all insects are harmful.  Dragonflies, like bats and earthworms, are a beneficial species that should be welcomed into your garden and yard.  They prey on mosquitos, flies, and other insects. 

How can you encourage beneficial species to help you?  First of all, become familiar and comfortable with different beneficial species.  While you may not want them inside your home, in the outdoors, they can be extremely helpful controlling pests and/or pollinating flowers.  Gardening books and websites can help you identify some species.  You can also use your cyber-sleuth skills to identify unknown species that you find. After all, it is important to know whether that little creature crawling on your prize tomatoes is going to eat the plant, is just visiting, or is providing a benefit to the garden.

Ok, you're comfortable knowing the black and yellow orb weaver by your backdoor is not going to jump on your face and drag you back to its lair.  What do you do when you have trouble with pests or weeds in the yard or garden?  First, take a deep breath, and assess how bad the problem is.  Ideally, you want to avoid reaching for the pesticide and carpet bombing the whole place with "who knows what this will do to everythingcide."  You and your family might even be exposed to the pesticides as well.  If the problem is out of control, chemicals may be necessary, but think of it as your last resort.  Spraying everything will not only harm the pests, but it can also harm beneficials that call your piece of property home.  If the beneficials are wiped out, you have even less protection if the pests and weeds come back.  And lets face it, pests and weeds usually do. 

Great!  Your thumb is no longer resting on the big red pesticide nuclear button.  What else can you do to help those great beneficials?  Consider setting up micro-habitats for them. If you want frogs or toads to help control insects, they are going to need a nearby water source.  Birds may need a safe nesting site while other animals may need a place such as small brush pile to hide in when they rest. 

Good luck encouraging Mother Nature to help you in the outdoors.  A little assistance from us can help beneficial species prosper.