Re: Native gardening for beneficial insects?

**Ron Whitehurst bugnet@rinconvitova.com>**

Sheri Ann Richerson wrote:

> Does native gardening attract beneficial insects?
>
> Is there any info avaiable for this?
>

There are several basics:
different shapes of flowers, different shapes and sizes of insects - you have
to match the two, such as tiny insects cant open pea flowers (clover, vetch,
etc.)
insects active at certain time of day, some flowers open only certain time of
day - match insect activity with open flowers
some adult insects present only part of year, some flowers present only part
of year - match active months
some flowers have little pollen and/or nectar so are of little value to
insects collecting pollen or nectar
some plants are resistant to pests - so dont foster pests to feed beneficials
- aphid resistant varieties of alfalfa dont help much with insect habitat -
varietal or ecotype difference can be significant as far as to whether plant
contributes to habitat for a particular insect

You can figure out all these variables for the beneficial insects for the
favored plants you wish to grow - and some people are doing this... or you
can plant a mix of flowers with different structures that bloom throughout
the growing season.

Beneficial Insect Habitat Seed Mix
Access to Nectar - Ease Of Use By Beneficial Insects

Dr. Joseph Patt has been studying the structure of flowers. Some have the
pollen and nectar open so that any insect can use it. Other flowers are
relatively closed so that insects need special mouth parts to get to the
pollen and nectar. Here are some of his observations. Beneficial Blend is a
seed mix that a number of people have been using locally with good results.

Plant % in mix                 Access to Nectar

‘Beneficial Blend’ from Lohse Mill Seed Co.

Annual white clover 20                Very hidden
Yellow sweet clover  20                 Very hidden
Cilantro (coriander) 15                 Partly obstructed
Parsley 15                                 Exposed
Caraway 8                                 Fully exposed
Fennel 5                                     Fully exposed
White yarrow 5                          Hidden
Cosmos 5                                 Hidden
Dwarf white alyssum 2              Partly hidden
Annual baby’s breath 2                 ?
Tall white alyssum 2                 Partly hidden
Tidy tips 1                                                 ?

Other flowering annuals.
Anise                                  Fully exposed
Dill                                  Fully exposed
Carrot                                  Fully exposed
Angelica                                  Fully exposed
Rue                                  Fully exposed
Spurges                                  Fully exposed
Ammi   (bishops weed)     Part obstructed
Spearmint                                  Partly hidden
Chickweed                                  Partly hidden
Crucifers                                  Partly hidden
Legumes                  Very hidden
Ageratum                  Hidden
Blue salvia                  Hidden
Ageratum                  Hidden
Burpleurum                  Fully exposed
California poppy                  Part obstructed
Portulaca, single flowered varieties      Partly hidden
Candy tuft                  Partly hidden
Chamomile                  Hidden
Marjoram                  Partly hidden
Oregano                  Partly hidden

Annuals with extafloral nectaries
Corn
Cowpeas (blackeyed peas)
Common vetch
Snap beans
Bell beans
Sunflower

***************
Protect Your Crops with an Insect Army
The answer to the crop protection dilemma is, paradoxically, much less
expensive than hiring an army, bordering on what may be termed benign
neglect. Biological pest control reestablishes the orchard and vineyard
ecosystem. When pesticides were used, they not only wiped out the crop
destroying insects, but also the bugs that were the farmer’s allies.

A system that is gaining increased support is that the right predatory
insects, given the opportunity, will control the bad bugs and protect the
crops. This is not a new concept, there is simply increased pressure to
implement it.

The introduction of beneficial insects in agriculture requires some
significant changes to farming methods. The practice of disking medians
between rows to bare earth has to be abandoned. Instead, the dirt tracks are
planted with cover crops to provide a habitat providing nectar and pollen
that will sustain beneficial arthropods when the pests are dormant or have
been reduced in numbers. Bare dirt surrounding a crop leaves nothing for the
pests to eat except your crop. Dust from bare medians settles on leaves
inviting damaging mites to move in. The heat from the bare soil speeds up
their life cycle causing the population to explode.

The primary use is providing habitat for beneficial insects to aid biological
control of pests.  Insecta-Flora is a wildflower mix with flowers that bloom
at different times through the year. It creates a natural insectary that
attracts and supports the beneficials and provides an alternate target for
crop destroyers, drawing them into an insect ambush. Some have open flower
structures that permit large and small insects to get nectar. Some have lots
of pollen. Some will tolerate shade, some will take mowing, and all attract
insects. Developed by Paul Albright of Albright Seed Company, Paul put an
emphasis on what is attractive to insects and beautiful to humans. Many other
flowers could have been added, in fact, you can add your favorite wildflowers
when you plant the mix. Secondary uses for Insecta-Flora include cut flowers,
herbs, soil building, erosion control, and screening. This mix also provides
habitat for birds, amphibians, reptiles, and soil microbes.

Planting
Prepare a seed bed by scratching the surface to get aggregate particle size
of ½ to 1 inch range. Drill in the seed or broadcast and lightly cover the
seed. Note the planting density. If you plant the mix more densely, the
faster growing plants will overwhelm the slower growing plants, and the
resulting diversity will be lower. Plant 11 pounds per acre, 1 pound per
4,000 square feet, 1 ounce per 250 square feet, 1 gram per 9 square feet.
Fall planting is best in a Mediterranean climate, giving plants time to
establish in the rainy season. If planted in the spring, water to get
established. In dryer areas Insecta-Flora may need watering several times
during the summer.

This mix is fairly expensive in contrast to many cover crop seeds, but this
mix will reseed itself so averaged over 4 - 5 years the cost is quite
reasonable. After 10 years the cost is inexpensive.

Also see the work of Bob Bugg, U of CA

* * * * * * * * *

Ron Whitehurst
Marketing Manager

Rincon-Vitova Insectaries,
P.O. Box 1555, Ventura, CA  93002-1555
805-643-5407   800-248-2847 (BUGS)   fax 805-643-6267

e-mail:  bugnet@rinconvitova.com
web:  http://www.rinconvitova.com

Biological Solutions for Pest Management

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