Most people want insects out of their gardens and yards.
Jessica Walliser invites them in.
Walliser, an organic gardening advocate, makes the case for natural pest management in Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden. She favors an approach that lets nature take its course, with a little human oversight.
Nature, Walliser says, works best when it’s allowed to stay in balance. Even bad bugs aren’t entirely bad in the garden, she argues. After all, they attract the beneficial bugs that prey on them.
The key is achieving a diverse, complex landscape that allows the pests and the beneficial insects to remain in check so little human intervention is needed.
Walliser introduces her readers to some common beneficial bugs and the plants that are best at attracting them. She also guides readers in creating insectary borders and companion plantings designed to encourage natural enemies to do battle in a way that’s healthy for the garden.
Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control is published by Timber Press and sells for $24.95 in softcover.
— Mary Beth Breckenridge