Organic Gardening And Green Lifestyle | Garden Mandy Dot Com » Insects http://www.gardenmandy.com Organic Living, Gardening, Health and Environmental Issues Daily Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:28:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Praying Mantis http://www.gardenmandy.com/praying-mantis/ http://www.gardenmandy.com/praying-mantis/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:21:38 +0000 Mandy http://www.gardenmandy.com/?p=918 praying-mantis

The praying mantis may be, hands down, the most unusual bug on the planet.  Actually, they almost look extra-terrestrial.

There are over 2,000 species of mantis with 20 species being native to the US. If you happen to spot one of these carnivorous insects and it turns it head around 180 degree’s to take a closer look at you, don’t call the priest. You have not found a demonic creature living in your tomatoes. This is perfectly normal, with some species being able to turn their heads almost 360 degrees.

While it is highly unlikely that you encounter such a species, there are actually members of the mantis family that eat rodents, frogs, lizards and even birds.

You can purchase praying mantis at your local nursery or online. You can even purchase eggs online and hatch them in your yard. If you do decide to enlist the help of praying mantis keep in mind that they not only eat the pests in your garden but also the beneficial insects, so they may not be the best choice for every garden. You can attract praying mantis to your garden with cosmos and raspberries.

Praying Mantis are perfect for controlling aphids, black fly larvae, caterpillars, fruit flies, leafhoppers, mosquitoes, moths, and scale insects. Pretty much, it will eat anything it can which makes it both friend and foe to the organic garden.

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]]> http://www.gardenmandy.com/praying-mantis/feed/ 2 Ladybugs http://www.gardenmandy.com/ladybug/ http://www.gardenmandy.com/ladybug/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:19:34 +0000 Mandy http://www.gardenmandy.com/?p=914 ladybug

The ladybug is one of, if not the most, recognizable garden insect. What many of you may not know is, that there are over 500 species of the lady beetle in North America. Not all of them have their signature spots and not all of them are even red!

While their diet slightly varies between species, most of them tend to eat soft bodied insects, which means they are perfect for controlling aphids. In fact a single lady bug can eat 50-60 aphids a day.

If you do not have ladybugs naturally in your garden, you have two choices. First you can head down to your local organic nursery or online nursery and purchase them. This is recommended if you have an infestation and need help ASAP. If you are looking to control pests then simply try to attract ladybugs.

They love cosmos, which are ideal because they thrive in a number of climates, geraniums, fennel, and dill.

Ladybugs are great for controlling aphids, bollworms, potato beetle, green peach aphid and leafhoppers scale insects, mealybugs, mites and whiteflies.

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]]> http://www.gardenmandy.com/ladybug/feed/ 1 8 Bugs Worth Keeping Around: A List Of Beneficial Insects http://www.gardenmandy.com/8-bugs-worth-keeping-around-a-list-of-beneficial-insects/ http://www.gardenmandy.com/8-bugs-worth-keeping-around-a-list-of-beneficial-insects/#comments Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:37:09 +0000 Mandy http://www.gardenmandy.com/?p=164 Praying Mantis - Benifical Insects

Gardeners are always talking about beneficial insects. However, they don’t always tell what these insects are.

Here is a list of the insects you want hanging around your garden because they eat the bad insects and help provide the valuable nutrients your garden needs to thrive:

  1. Bees – We all know how important they are for pollination. Here’s more info on what happens when we kill all our bees.
  2. Wasps - They eat aphids, mites, whiteflies, caterpillar eggs, moth larvae, beetles and corn earwigs.
  3. Praying Mantis – these unusual looking bugs are great for controlling aphids.
  4. Ladybugs – These “ladies” of the garden control aphids, mealy bugs and mites.
  5. Beetles – particularly ground beetles, are fantastic for eating caterpillars, cut worms and even slugs.
  6. Spiders – They are extremely beneficial for eating a wide variety of pests.
  7. Green Lacewings – Consume aphids, mites and a variety of pest eggs.
  8. Earthworms – While they are not insects, I am still going to put them on the list. These guys do more for the garden then you may think. Providing nutrients, aerating the soil and controlling PH are just the beginning of their contribution.

By encouraging a few of natures most helpful insects you can not only control harmful pests but you can also grow your veggies organically.

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]]> http://www.gardenmandy.com/8-bugs-worth-keeping-around-a-list-of-beneficial-insects/feed/ 16 How To Attract Good Insects To Your Garden http://www.gardenmandy.com/attract-good-insects-to-your-garden/ http://www.gardenmandy.com/attract-good-insects-to-your-garden/#comments Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:43:54 +0000 Mandy http://www.gardenmandy.com/attract-good-insects-to-your-garden/ Good insects eat bad insects

One of the best ways to keep your garden free from insects that are looking to snack on your vegetable leaves, is to attract larger insects.

You can easily attract bees, butterflies and ladybugs by planting flowers and herbs that will attract them to your garden.

Some of the best herbs for attracting insects are thyme, lavender, and lemon balm.

When choosing flowers you should pick a bright, fragrant variety. Some suggestions are sunflowers, poppies, cowslips, snapdragons, and honeysuckle.

This is a great way to decrease the intrusive insects while keeping your garden organic and free of pesticides.

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