Wolf Hill Home and Garden - Beneficial Bugs

ORGANIC BUG CONTROL

LADYBUGS

Everyone's favorite bug, ladybugs can attack 50 aphids per day and they will also devour mites, thrips, scale and many other soft bodied insects. Ladybugs should always be released after sundown since they only fly in the daytime. During the night they will search the area for food and stay as long as there is food for them to eat. The more they eat, the more eggs they lay and the more insect eating larvae you will have. Ladybugs tend to crawl up and toward light. So release them in small groups at the base of plants and shrubs that have aphids or other insects

PRAYING MANTIDS

These ferocious looking creatures eat a wide variety of insects: Beetles, caterpillars, grubs, aphids, grass-hoppers, almost anything that moves. But they are so much fun that many people buy them for pets. And since they don't fly, they stay right in the area where they are released. Like ladybugs, praying mantids are completely harmless to people, pets, and the environment.

BENEFICIAL NEMATODES

Easy to apply, these microscopic organisms, attack over 230 soil dwelling and wood boring pests. For outdoor control, the list includes flea larvae, white grubs, japanese beetle grubs, cutworms, and cabbage root maggots. For interiorscape, they attack fungus gnat larvae. Beneficial Nematodes will attack over wintering adult insects, pupae, larvae, and grubs when they are in the soil, bark or even ground litter. Does not affect humans, animals or plants Compatible with other beneficial insects and they do not harm earthworms.

LIVE EARTHWORMS

When released into the garden, these earthworm will turn organic material into nutrient rich castings. They aerate the soil and allow oxygen to get to roots. Always moving, red wrigglers are a natural compliment to cold composting since they are constantly looking for organic Material to eat. Naturally improves the soil.

EARTHWORM CASTINGS

This is pure, odorless, by-product of earthworms. The worms consume ordinary soil and cast it back with 5 times more nitrogen, 1.5 times more calcium, 3 times more magnesium, 7 times more phosphates, 11 times more potash, and 40% more humus! unlike chemical fertilizers, castings release their nutrients slowly, making it impossible to burn roots. And, the nutrients won't leach out with watering. Addition of these castings to potting and garden soils reduces density and improves water retention. All plant life benefits from this natural soil amendment.

WHY USE BENEFICIAL INSECTS?

As everyone already knows, chemical pesticides are bad for us as well as bad for the environment. Today, more and more people are beginning to explore alternative methods of insect control in their gardens. One such method is to use beneficial insects to combat destructive insects right in your own yard! All pests have natural enemies that we call beneficial insects and now we know that it is better to work with Mother Nature instead of against her. Our role is to let the beneficial insects do their job and give them a little help when they need it. And the bad guys never build up a resistance to being eaten! Beneficial insects come in two varieties, predators or parasites. Predators, such as Delphastus, attack the pest directly, usually by piercing the insect and sucking out the fluids. This is how they can eat so many in a day. Parasites, such as the Trichogramma, do their job by laying their eggs in the pest eggs. The parasite’s eggs hatch first and feed on the pest egg that kills it. When you see that your garden is being attacked, find out what the intruder is and then let us at Wolf Hill supply you with a bug to counter attack.

Visit a Wolf Hill Home & Garden near you to learn more about the advantages of working with nature. Stop by and see one of our Garden Center associates to learn more about the advantages of using beneficial insects in your garden. You'll be glad you did, and your family will too!