As Summer kicks in, and with everything growing well due to consistent rains, we are noticing more and more predators in the gardens. Well, I think there are more. This is great because on some days we inspect the fruits trees or berries, or almost any other food plant for the menace - and end up squashing dozens of grasshoppers like the one below:  They eat almost everything, even rhubarb leaves(!). Anyhow, so that's where the predators come in - we need their help. Here are some of them:       And of course there are many more 'helpers' - predatory wasps, birds, bats, and so on and also the domesticated; the ducks and chickens when they are out roaming... I think the keys to success are: 1.) not spraying any chemicals to kill anything (incl the beneficials) 2.) providing plant diversity for predator habitat 3.) not squashing ALL the bugs - only when they are clearly devouring a plant 4.) creating insect hotels (do a Google search for examples) and other habitat; ponds, rock walls/piles, drilling holes in old wood, and so on 5.) allowing nature to find a balance - if there are too many predators they will run out of food, which means there will always be some undesirable food eating bugs to keep the predators fed... |
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