Beneficial Critters for Organic Gardening

Organic gardening has been growing in popularity for several years as a way to produce nutritious, healthy fruits and vegetables without harming the environment. Beneficial insects like ladybugs and praying mantis are a great way to treat lawn and garden pests organically, without chemicals, and red wiggler worms help produce nutrient-rich compost.

Using beneficial insects in the garden is also fun for families. Even small children can help release ladybugs or put food in the vermicompost bin, and it’s fun to observe ladybugs and praying mantis in the garden throughout the summer.

Ladybugs

Ladybugs are perhaps the best-known beneficial insect and are a great alternative to spraying for pest control. Ladybugs can eat as many as 40-50 aphids per day, as well as mites, leafhoppers, mealy bugs and other soft-bodied pests.

Releasing ladybugs into the garden:

• • It’s best to release ladybugs in the early evening, when the temperature is a little cooler, their activity lessens, and they’re less likely to be seen by hungry birds;
• • If you aren’t releasing your ladybugs immediately, store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours;
• • Just before releasing the ladybugs, water your garden to provide immediate hydration to the ladybugs;
• • Don’t shake the bag to encourage them to come out. Instead, just place the open bag on the ground next to the infested plants and let them crawl out.

Praying Mantis

The praying mantis is also very effective at controlling garden pests. Praying mantis have voracious appetites and will eat almost any pest insect. The praying mantis is the only predator fast enough to catch mosquitoes and flies, and it will also eat aphids, mosquitoes, spiders, grasshoppers, beetles and more.

Praying mantis release and care:

• Praying mantis are sold as egg cases, which should also be used immediately or refrigerated for up to a week.
• Praying mantis egg cases hatch in the spring, and they prefer temperatures in the 70-80 degree range, so mid-May is the ideal time to place them outdoors.
• The baby mantis (nymphs) look like large mosquitoes and easily blend in with the plants in the garden, so they may be hard to see. They will quickly disperse and begin looking for food.
• Remember, praying mantis have very large appetites. If there’s not enough food, they will eat a sibling when they’re young or just move on to find adequate nourishment when they’re older.

Red Wiggler Worms

• Red wiggler worms are used for vermicomposting. Similar to traditional compost, vermicompost is made up of decomposing vegetable or food waste (such as coffee grounds and food scraps) and bedding materials (such as lawn clippings and leaves), as well as worm castings or worm manure.

• Vermicompost works more efficiently in the garden than most other types of compost and is a great source of nutrients for your flowers and vegetables. Vermicompost also holds moisture better than plain soil.

• Red wiggler worms are used for vermicomposting because they reproduce quickly, are tolerant of variances in their growing conditions, and can process large amounts of organic matter.

• The worms are placed on the top of a compost bin and then make their way to the bottom, eating organic matter along the way. The waste they produce is rich in nitrogen, potassium and other helpful nutrients.

View a list of stores that carry critters for organic gardening.