Eggplants are tall, erect plants with wide leaves dark green And large fruits- create a special mood in the garden beds. And in the kitchen they are a popular product for a wide variety of dishes: eggplants are fried, stewed and canned. Of course, growing a decent harvest in the middle zone and further north is not an easy task. But subject to agrotechnical cultivation rules, it is quite accessible even to beginners. Especially if you grow eggplants in a greenhouse.

Experienced gardeners always have crystalline iron sulfate, or ferrous sulfate, in their garden medicine cabinet. Like many other chemicals, it has properties that protect horticultural crops from numerous diseases and insect pests. In this article we will talk about the features of using iron sulfate to treat garden plants against diseases and pests and about other options for its use on the site.

Retaining walls- the main tool for working with complex terrain on the site. With their help, they not only create terraces or play with planes and alignment, but also emphasize the beauty of the rock garden landscape, the change in height, the style of the garden, and its character. Retaining walls allow play with raised and lowered areas and hidden areas. Modern dry or more solid walls help turn the disadvantages of the garden into its main advantages.

There were times when the concepts of “garden tree”, “family tree”, “collection tree”, “multi tree” simply did not exist. And such a miracle could only be seen on the farm of the “Michurintsy” - people who were amazed by their neighbors, looking at their gardens. There, on one apple, pear or plum tree, not only varieties of different ripening periods, but also various colors and sizes ripened. Not many people despaired of such experiments, but only those who were not afraid of numerous trials and errors.

On the balcony, in an apartment, on a summer cottage - everywhere enthusiastic people find a place for their pets. It turns out that growing flowers is a very troublesome task and requires only endless patience, hard work and, of course, knowledge. Providing a variety of colors and healthy nutrition- only one, not the biggest, but a problem on the difficult, exciting path of a florist. One of the most responsible and complex work for caring for indoor plants is replanting them.

The front garden is the face of the garden and its owner. Therefore, for these flower beds it is customary to choose plants that are decorative throughout the season. And, in my opinion, front garden perennials that bloom in spring deserve special attention. Like primroses, they bring us special joy, because after a dull winter, more than ever, we want bright colors and flowers. In this article we suggest getting acquainted with the best decorative perennials, blooming in spring and do not require special care.

Climatic conditions Our country, unfortunately, is not suitable for growing many crops without seedlings. Healthy and strong seedlings are the key to a high-quality harvest, in turn, the quality of seedlings depends on several factors: Even healthy-looking seeds can be infected with pathogens that remain on the surface of the seed for a long time, and after sowing, getting into favorable conditions, are activated and affect young and immature plants

Our family loves tomatoes very much, so most of the garden beds are devoted to this particular crop. Every year we try to try new ones interesting varieties, and some of them take root and become loved. At the same time, over many years of gardening, we have already developed a set of favorite varieties that are required to be planted every season. We jokingly call such tomatoes “special purpose” varieties - for fresh salads, juice, pickling and storage.

Coconut pie with cream - “kuchen”, or German coconut pie (Butter milch shnitten - soaked in milk). Without exaggeration, I will say that this is an incredibly delicious pie - sweet, juicy and tender. It can be stored in the refrigerator for quite a long time; cakes with cream are prepared on the basis of this sponge cake in Germany. The recipe is from the “Guests on the Doorstep!” category, since usually all the ingredients are in the refrigerator, and it takes less than an hour to prepare the dough and bake.

The snow has not yet completely melted, and the restless owners suburban areas They are already in a hurry to evaluate the scope of work in the garden. And there really is something to do here. And, perhaps, the most important thing you need to think about in early spring is how to protect your garden from diseases and pests. Experienced gardeners they know that these processes cannot be left to chance, and procrastination and postponing the processing time can significantly reduce the yield and quality of the fruit.

If you cook yourself soil mixtures for growing indoor plants, then it’s worth taking a closer look at a relatively new, interesting and, in my opinion, necessary component - coconut substrate. Everyone has probably seen at least once in their life a coconut and its “shaggy” shell covered with long fibers. Many delicious products are made from coconuts (actually a drupe), but the shells and fibers used to be just industrial waste.

Fish and cheese pie is a simple lunch or dinner idea for your daily or Sunday menu. The pie is designed for a small family of 4-5 people with a moderate appetite. This pastry has everything at once - fish, potatoes, cheese, and a crispy dough crust, in general, almost like a closed pizza calzone, only tastier and simpler. Canned fish can be anything - mackerel, saury, pink salmon or sardines, choose according to your taste. This pie is also prepared with boiled fish.

Fig, fig, fig tree - these are all names of the same plant, which we strongly associate with Mediterranean life. Anyone who has ever tasted fig fruits knows how delicious they are. But, in addition to their delicate sweet taste, they are also very beneficial for health. And here’s an interesting detail: it turns out that figs are a completely unpretentious plant. In addition, it can be successfully grown on a plot in the middle zone or in a house - in a container.

This delicious creamy seafood soup takes just under an hour to prepare and turns out tender and creamy. Choose seafood according to your taste and budget; it can be a seafood cocktail, king prawns, or squid. I made soup with large shrimp and mussels in their shells. Firstly, it is very tasty, and secondly, it is beautiful. If you are preparing it for a holiday dinner or lunch, then mussels in their shells and large unpeeled shrimp look appetizing and pretty on the plate.

Quite often, difficulties in growing tomato seedlings arise even among experienced summer residents. For some, all the seedlings turn out to be elongated and weak, for others, they suddenly begin to fall and die. The thing is that it is difficult to maintain in an apartment ideal conditions for growing seedlings. Seedlings of any plants need to be provided with plenty of light, sufficient humidity and optimal temperature. What else do you need to know and observe when growing tomato seedlings in an apartment?

Incredible facts

Insects rule our planet. Scientists have identified nearly 900,000 different insect species, but experts believe there are at least another 30 million species that have yet to be discovered. They also believe that there are currently about 10 trillion (this is a number with 18 zeros) insects living on Earth.

Such a staggering number of insects suggests that they have a huge impact on our lives and civilization, in all areas, from religion to agriculture and technology. Sometimes the actions of insects have a positive effect, such as, for example, the activities of the dung beetle, which is the “sewage” worker of the insect world.

Insects often cause harm, and their bite can trigger the development of a certain disease. However, they are all part of the biological diversity of the world, in which often the actions of one species complement or complete the actions of another, and they all depend on each other, sometimes in ways completely unknown to us.

10. Bees and other pollinators

Without bees, midges, butterflies, wasps and beetles, our food would be very modest and limited to bread and water. About a third of our food comes from insect pollinators, with bees pollinating about 80 percent of it. Insects pollinate at least 90 percent of fruits and vegetables. Some crops require special insects for pollination. For example, until some time rice could not be grown in North America, but everything changed after tiny bees, which are rice pollinators, were imported into the region. You might think that insects are only responsible for pollinating fruits and vegetables, but in fact, you can't even eat beef without pollinating insects, since bees pollinate alfalfa, which is the mainstay of cows' diet.

9. Silkworm and other "producers"

Silkworms, which are actually caterpillars and not worms, are able to spin continuous threads of silk. According to Chinese legend, ancient emperors skillfully used the activities of silkworms back in 2700 BC, and when 2600 years later the longest road of the state was opened, it was called the “Silk Road”. The silk industry developed in China for over 4,000 years, and silkworms became completely dependent on humans. Moreover, this dependence was so obvious that without human help they could not even climb the plant to eat.

By far the most famous product made by insects is honey, produced by bees. Honey is even older than silk, having existed since the Mesolithic period.

8. Beetles - dung beetles

With a shimmering green body and black spots on their backs, dung beetles look too bright for what they do. But this little insect loves its job so much that in some regions it consumes more than 80 percent of cattle droppings. Beetles are attracted to the smell of manure, and many will only consume the manure of a specific species of animal. In addition to the fact that thanks to dung beetles, pastures can be maintained in proper condition, these insects also regulate the number of flies that like to lay their eggs in manure, and the beetles, in turn, in the process of feeding, damage them, thereby preventing fly populations multiply excessively.

7. Bad insects do good

Of course, you are unlikely to think that termites and their close relatives cockroaches are beneficial insects, especially if they are found in your home, however, in the wild, they perform very useful work. Termites process tons of cellulose-containing materials, such as dead trees and plants, and return them to the soil, thereby saturating it with useful substances. Cockroaches, which are particularly partial to wet and warm conditions, live in tropical forests and are also involved in processing dead and rotting plant and animal material. In fact, without the primitive cockroaches that have lived on earth for more than 250 million years, our forests would have long ago been “bogged down” in decaying material. Scientists also suggest that a relatively new resident of North America, the Asian cockroach, could help cotton farmers by eating pests without damaging the main product.

6. Mosquitoes

Of course, from their bites we experience crazy itching, and we are unlikely to be able to sleep in a room where at least one of them flies, since the buzzing sound will not give us peace. This tiny insect leaves very serious bites, and only females do this; males do not bite. Mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting some serious diseases. Yellow fever, brought by a mosquito bite, almost stopped the construction of the Panama Canal. Malaria, also carried by mosquitoes, has been a scourge of the tropics for centuries. Some people think this might be a good thing. Perhaps mosquitoes are saving the tropics from excessive human penetration. Until the end of the last century, people who came to the tropics and got bitten by a mosquito immediately left the forest, which actually helped the tropical forest ecosystem to survive.

5. Ladybugs and other garden helpers

4. Disease carriers

Throughout human history, it turns out that the smallest pests have been the most dangerous. All types of diseases could be transmitted through an insect bite. Fleas spread the plague throughout Asia and Europe for hundreds of years, and a more modern version of West Nile virus was spread through mosquito bites. In North America, Lyme disease is one of the most well-known diseases, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of certain types of ticks, which also carry encephalitis.

Trypanosomiasis is one of the strangest diseases transmitted by insects. Known as sleeping sickness, the disease affects about 70,000 people in Africa each year and is caused by the bite of a tsetse fly. Symptoms include itching, increased lymph nodes, confusion and disorientation, and then a disruption of the sleep cycle. If left untreated, the disease will be fatal.

Around the world, tiny mosquitoes cause leishmaniasis, a disease of the skin and internal organs. 1.5 million cases of leishmaniasis are reported annually.

3. Butterfly effect

You've probably heard the joke about how the flapping of a butterfly's wing in China triggered a hurricane in New York. It's a little extreme, but in reality, these colorful creatures have a role to play in our world. Some moths and butterflies eat pesky insects such as mosquitoes, while birds, frogs and reptiles feed on butterflies.

Scientists believe butterfly migration can teach us a lot. Orange and black butterflies go about their business every summer, living among flowers in North America for a very short life cycle of four to six weeks. However, the new Danoid butterflies will be able to live for 7-8 months, thanks to which they will be able to migrate thousands of kilometers, for example, south to Mexico, where they have never been. However, it is worth noting that while birds learn their migration routes from their parents, this is not given to Danoid butterflies, since their parents never independently moved such distances. This is equivalent to being given a life span of 500 years, and at the same time being tasked with finding the place where your ancestors lived without a single clue. Scientists believe they can learn a lot by studying the life and migration of danoid butterflies.

2. Plant killers

Insect control costs farmers much more each year large amounts than we can imagine, and the risk of infection of livestock and crops is still quite high. For example, crop damage by the Asian beetle could shut down the maple syrup industry in New England.

Mosquitoes and ticks can transmit diseases such as fever and African swine fever to cattle. Insect bites can also transmit some viruses to vital crops. Although infected crops cannot currently be treated, preventative control measures can be taken by planting virus-resistant species.

1. Noted insects in history

Despite their tiny size, insects have a very important impact on humans. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the cotton boll weevil migrated from Central America and Mexico to the United States, virtually wiping out cotton as a cash crop, with most farmers forced into career change due to lack of work. Sociologists argue that the wave of African-American migration to northern industrial cities was caused by this process.

The scarab, a type of dung beetle, lived a very good life in ancient Egypt. He was given a special honor because when someone of the nobility died and after his body was mummified, an amulet containing a scarab was placed around his neck.

The Old Testament mentions locusts as a sign from God to convince the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery.

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Beneficial insects

​Solution for environmental safety, food obtained by growing plants.​

​PYRLIDAE - Anagasta kiihniella; Plodia interpunctella; Homoeosoma nebulella; Etiella zinckenella; Ostrinia nubilalis; etc.​

​By creating conditions that would combine a favorable environment for beneficial insects and decorativeness, it is possible to achieve a natural balance between the number of harmful and beneficial insects.​

Tansy

Araneae, or arachnids

​In the winter, the pots should be cleaned and refilled in the spring.​

​Accommodation in the garden:​

Chrysopidae or green/brown lacewing

Large ground beetles lay 40-60 eggs separately in shallow holes in the ground. The eggs hatch into larvae after a few days and hatch, depending on the species, 2-3 years later to become a pupa. After a pupal period of approximately 2-3 weeks, they hatch into adult (developed) ground beetles. Along with ground beetles, which live mainly on the ground, there are also arboreal and flying species. They feed on small insects and worms and therefore live in rotting organic matter, such as compost.​

Coccinellidae, or ladybug

​You can use an old basin, trough or bathtub as a small artificial “reservoir”. They need to be equipped with small planks that will help frogs and toads easily get out of the water.​

Mantoptera, or praying mantis

​The garden is guarded by its many inhabitants. Biological methods of controlling pests in gardens and vegetable gardens have long been known not only to scientists, but also to gardeners and gardeners. These methods help balance the pest population by natural factors. It is enough for any gardener to know the basics of ecology and understand some of the features of the functioning of the ecological system in order to very effectively use beneficial garden inhabitants in the fight against numerous garden pests.​

Carabidae, or ground beetle

​Creation of products - Encarsia Formosa, with low production costs and its availability to a wide range of producers of crop products.​

Some types of wasps

​Production of a predatory insect in the incubated egg stage.​

​Carabidae larva. © David Ball​

​Birds in the garden​

• ​The word “insect” is translated as “animal with notches” and was mentioned in dictionaries in 1731. Many gardeners regularly face the problem of low yields and the death of young seedlings and already fruit-bearing trees. In most cases, this is the result of the activity of various garden pests.​
• The common praying mantis (lat. Mantis religiosa L.) is a representative of the suborder Mantises of the order Cockroaches, a large predatory insect with front legs well adapted for grasping food. Reaches 42-52 mm (male) or 48-75 mm (female) in length.​
• ​TINEIDAE - Pectinophora gossypiella; Galleria mellonella; etc.
• ​Please rate this article in our rating: Total:​
• ​Pupavka
• The predatory bug belongs to the class of weevils. His various types have specific power sources. For some it is the juice of some plant, for others it is insects. The gardener is primarily interested in the latter, which, among other things, destroy aphids. These include soft-bodied and false bugs, among which some species feed mainly on spider mites.​
• ​Green-eyes need shelter for the winter in the form of small wooden houses, stuffed with straw.​

​Resettlement in the garden.​

​Of course, there are no absolutely beneficial or harmful animals, insects and birds, but the dominance of pests brings undeniable harm. It is possible to make garden plants healthy and highly productive without resorting to the help of modern poisons, which can accumulate in fruits and significantly reduce their quality characteristics.​

How to attract birds to the garden

​Birds, from the Latin Aves, are a class of animals that can make any garden “alive.” Food for feathered insectivores includes caterpillars, butterflies, beetles and larvae. A special period of activity for the destruction of garden pests occurs during the season of feeding their offspring. Some bird species are most useful in pest control:​

Beneficial amphibians

​Many insects that live in our gardens are natural enemies pests. Exposure to predatory insects, or entomophages, can reduce the number of major garden pests by almost 40%.​

​Color is very variable from green or yellow to brown-gray or dark brown. The pronotum is of moderate length, the front legs are grasping, in addition to obtaining food, they are also used for movement. The hind legs are running. The wings are well developed in both the male and the female, but in the latter (according to some scientists) they are used not for flight, but to intimidate prey. Based on specific observations made during scientific work, it was established that the female also uses wings for flight. The abdomen is ovoid, rather long. A special feature of this type of mantis is its wide distribution: it lives throughout Southern Europe (south of the 52nd parallel), in Western and Central Asia, Africa, partly in Southeast Asia and Australia (where it competes with related species) . In Crimea it is gradually replaced by the tree mantis (Hierodula Tenuidentata) Introduced to the USA

​Predatory mite (Phytoseiulus persimilis) - ​

​All hosts of entomophages Bracon hebetor belong to the order Lepidoptera and are divided into two groups:​

How to Attract Frogs to the Garden

​. Perennial, attractive to wasps and flies. During the flowering period it is covered with many yellow flowers.​

​Flower bugs are small predatory insects 3-4 mm long. At one time, the female lays up to 8 eggs, mainly along the edges of the leaves. During the year, bedbugs hatch 2 generations, and in areas with a warm climate even 3. They overwinter predatory bugs adults. More large species Flower bugs also feed on gall midge larvae.​

The lacewing larva is an aphid lion. © Gilles San Martin​

Harmful and beneficial insects in the garden (video)

​The ground beetles should be provided with shelter (foliage, sawdust and shavings, small piles of stones), they live in the open ground, sometimes hiding in earthen cracks.​

DachaDecor.ru

​To do this, it is enough to protect and attract beneficial insects, birds and animals to personal plots. Their optimal quantity can significantly reduce the need to use protective drugs and concentrate on the use of non-toxic drugs that increase the overall resistance of green spaces to adverse conditions. natural conditions and various diseases.​

​starling;​

Ladybug

​The common mantis inode plays a useful role in agriculture as an exterminator of harmful insects (such as flies or agricultural pests). But the beneficial effects of mantises are compensated by the fact that they also destroy beneficial insects (bees, other beneficial entomophages).​

• Lemon marigolds
• ​The bug Gminatus australis with a caught beetle. © JJ Harrison​

Gallica

​Using lacewing for targeted biological protection plants in greenhouses and on protected ground was tested and gave good results. For this it is necessary for each square meter place 20 lacewing eggs on the surface, which can be purchased in special biological laboratories.​

​Pesticides are the worst enemy of ground beetles!​

​One of the biological methods of natural plant protection in the garden involves the use of beneficial insects as natural enemies pests, their study and assistance in settling in the garden and living in it. Which insects are beneficial? Let's get to know them a little closer.​

​tit;​

• ​According to biologists, modern gardeners practically do not take into account the fact that the use of beneficial insects helps to get rid of aphids, caterpillars, snails and other pests much more effectively than the use of expensive pesticides.​

Ground beetle larvae

​African mantis​

​Tetranychys urticae Koch​

​Caterpillars are pests of trees and agricultural plants.​

​Entomophages - beneficial insects​

• ​. Attract small wasps and spiders. Seedlings are planted in the ground when the danger of frost has passed.
• ​Accommodation in the garden:​

Hoverflies

Hoverflies are important in gardening because their larvae feed on aphids. Larvae develop in different conditions - in soil, slurry or on plants. Visually, the hoverfly is similar to a wasp; the length of an adult is 8-15 mm. The peculiarity of hoverflies, reflected in their name, is that in flight they can seem to hover in place, while making a sound vaguely reminiscent of the murmur of water.​

Beneficial insects are attracted to flowering plants in the garden. © Freinda​

​woodpecker;​

​Even different in chemical composition innovative insecticides are addictive and require constant replacement. Almost all beneficial insects are predators and are most often represented in our gardens by the following individuals:

​flower mantis​

• ​. Belongs to the class of arachnids Arachnidea, subclass of mites Acarina, order Acariformes, family Tetranychidae. This type of pest is found everywhere on many cultivated plants in both open and closed ground. Recently, big problems have been brought to cotton farmers and crops produced in greenhouses. It is a broad polyphagous - over 200 plants from different families are known on which this phytophage feeds.​
• ​Entomophage Lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea)​

Lacewing and its larvae - Ash lions

​Cumin​

​The ladybug is a well-known beneficial insect in the garden. It belongs to the round beetles and, depending on the species, is 4-9 mm long. The most common species is the seven-spotted ladybird. The beetle got its name for the 7 black dots on its red wing covers. But there are also beetles with yellow elytra and black dots, or dark beetles with light spots or without them at all. Also, the number of spots or the pattern of the wings can be varied. In total, we are home to about 70 species of large beetles, of which about 50 species feed on leaf aphids, and the rest feed on oribatid aphids and spider mites. Ladybugs, along with other leaf aphid destroyers, are the most important helpers in the garden.​

​swallow;​

• ​Some species weave webs, some live in earthen burrows, and there are species hiding on the back of the leaves. They all feed on various harmful insects and eat caterpillars, woodlice, flea beetles and cabbage butterflies.​
• ​many different mantises​

​PRODUCTION TASKS:​

​.A beneficial insect that is used to combat insects - plant pests in the insect world. ​

Riders

​BIOBAUER offers the following to choose from​

​. Attracts sly bugs, spiders, small wasps, hoverflies and lacewings during the flowering period. Its aromatic seeds are used in baking and for making marinades.​

​If we take a lot of beneficial insects from somewhere and release them into the garden, the effect will only be short-term. It is much more important that beneficial insects take root in the garden. To do this, we need to create suitable conditions for them. First of all, this is a food supply and places for sheltering and breeding of beneficial insects.​

Ichondritus can overwinter as a larva, pupa or adult. At one time, the female lays about 30 eggs in the cabbage caterpillar. In total, she can lay up to 200 eggs. After the larvae hatch in the caterpillar, the shell of its body cracks, releasing the larvae, which a little later turn into pupae.​

​Egg laying occurs in aphid colonies. Eggs are 1 mm in size, oblong white. The larvae that hatch from the eggs have no legs and move like snails. They are colored white or yellow and look like fly larvae.​

​Adult ladybugs overwinter in open ground, for example, under leaves or dry grass. In the spring, ladybugs lay 10-20 eggs vertically in a group on branches or on inside leaves close to aphid colonies. Larvae from eggs go through 4 stages. They are usually painted dark gray with a yellow or red pattern. At the end of the larval stage, ladybugs begin to pupate and, as a rule, acquire a yellow color. After emerging from the pupa, the beetle needs another 2-3 days before it acquires its final color. It is especially important that both the larvae and the beetles themselves belong to the species of predatory insects and feed on aphids.​

• ​wagtail;​

Common earwig

​they are harmless​

​Everywhere, every producer of agricultural plants, especially in greenhouses, is faced with a plant pest such as Tetranychys urticae Koch. And every manufacturer knows how difficult it is to get rid of this plant pest.​

​One of the voracious predators of entomophages among insects are insects from the family Chrysopidae. Many plant protection experts come to the conclusion that these insects are effective biological agent fight against a complex of insects - plant pests.​

​types of entomophages (beneficial insects):​

The well-known seven-spotted ladybug destroys up to 150 aphids per day, more small species– up to 60. While still larvae, insects devour a total of up to 800 aphids. Thus, a female beetle destroys about 4 thousand adult aphids during her life.

​flycatcher;​

​The larvae of this insect are very aggressive predators and destroy large quantities of aphids, mites and other small pests.​

​Useful, but I don’t know exactly why.​

• ​The biological agent - the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis - happily copes with this pest, Tetranychys urticae Koch - by eating it.​

How to attract insects to the garden?

​There is some difference in the species composition of this family of entomophagous predators:​

​ - Brakon Hebetor, ​

• ​. Attracts ladybugs, hoverflies, small wasps and spiders.​
• ​Predatory insects are attracted to flowering plants, not pests (phytophages);​

​Caterpillar infected with ichneumon ichneumon eggs. © itchydogimages​

​Hoverfly larva (Syrphidae). © Pauline Smith​

​Imago, adult individual of the seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata). © Cesare Oppo Larva of the seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata). © Cristian ArghiusPupa of the seven-spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata). © Gilles San Martin​

​redstart;​

​neutral, but may be slightly harmful to the crop. , because they eat it.​

​The project involves studying the predator, its effectiveness and required quantity, for successful plant protection against harmful mites - Tetranychys urticae Koch.​

Plants that attract beneficial insects

​Predators, in the adult insect stage and in the insect larval stage. For example, entomophages Chrysopa (Crysoperla) septempunctata.​

​When using a ladybug as plant protection, its development cycles should be taken into account!​

The benefits of birds in the garden are undeniable. One rook eats almost 500 wireworm larvae per day, and a titmouse eats summer period destroys about 100 thousand pests. When feeding its chicks, the starling transfers about 8 thousand larvae and adult individuals of the cockchafer to its nest. It is known that only two tits are enough to protect 35-40 fruit trees from pests.

​The praying mantis is almost omnivorous in its taste preferences, and the subject of its hunt are not only aphids, mealybugs, thrips, caterpillars, corn borers, but also small lizards and young snakes.​

​I think the useful ones devour all sorts of porosites​

According to various sources, these predators destroy from 100 to 120 species of harmful insects.  The production of this predator is difficult due to the developed ganibalism of this insect, especially in species that are predators in the adult stage.​ ​POSSIBILITIES OF USING ENTOMOPHAGES:​​Honey plant

botanichka.ru

Entomophages - beneficial insects for plants

​Plant honey-bearing flowers to attract beneficial insects. © Sandie J​​The rider loves to settle in umbrella plants(dill, coriander, lovage, cumin, kupyr, etc.)​

​For hoverflies to overwinter, you can leave small wooden boxes filled with dry grass or shavings.​ ​For wintering, provide the insect with shelter (foliage, stones, bark, etc.).​

Brakon Hebetor

​The main natural enemy of caterpillars, cutworms, beetles and flea beetles.​ They are useless for nature. That is, not at all! They are good for nothing, even the lousiest dragonfly won’t eat them! And they are harmful to people. Well, like locusts. The harvest is being spoiled, you bastards...​

The common earwig, which belongs to the order Leatherwing, is well known to gardeners and gardeners. The body length is 3.5-5 mm, the front wings are solid, the hind wings are membranous. There are also wingless forms. Its claws located in the back of the body are impressive. The earwig hunts mainly at dusk and at night, and during the day it hides in dark narrow crevices.​

The lacewing, along with ladybugs, is an enemy of aphids. In our gardens the most common species is green with yellow eyes. The beetle got its name precisely because of these eyes. An adult has a wingspan of up to 3 cm. Green, oblong insects wear house-shaped, transparent, veined wings, folding them on the lower part of their long body.​

​Various species of the gall midge family are better known to amateur gardeners as harmful insects(larvae of a number of species develop in plant tissues, causing the formation of galls), which help in the fight against the pest. The body length of gall midges varies from 1 to 5 mm. Well-known pests in the garden include, for example, the pear gall midge.​

​Most of the feathered defenders die in harsh and frosty winters not only from the cold, but also from lack of food. Equipping the garden with various feeders and planting rowan trees helps preserve the population of wintering individuals. The greatest effect is achieved when placing titmice and birdhouses in the garden.​

​Wasp larvae destroy caterpillars, flies and many types of various pests.​

​There must always be a number of different pests in the garden in order for beneficial insects to survive.​

​By exterminating harmful insects, such as dahlia woodlice, the earwig can damage tender young dahlia plants.​

1. Lacewings (Chrysopidae). © Conall​
2. Beneficial gall midges feed on the larval stage of aphids. The most important view is Aphidoletes aphidimyza. The female (about 2-3 mm in size) lays 50-60 eggs in one life span of 1 week near the aphid colony. On the 4th-7th day, orange-red larvae hatch. The latter bite the aphids by the legs and inject a paralyzing liquid. The bitten aphid dies and is used by the larva for food. After 2 weeks, the fully formed larva falls to the ground and turns into a cocoon on the ground. After 3 weeks, the second brood hatches, whose larvae spend the winter in a cocoon on the ground and hatch in the spring as adults.​

​The largest order of amphibians, or Anura, has long become a common inhabitant of gardens and vegetable gardens. Frogs and toads, as a rule, evoke a feeling of disgust and disgust. Meanwhile, they invisibly help our plantings, freeing them from the dominance of numerous pests.​

The praying mantis is almost omnivorous

​Even the most harmful insect brings benefits - this is natural balance. To paraphrase a Soviet poet: if a praying mantis was invented, then someone needs it...))))​

​Larva of Galica aphidimyza (Aphidoletes aphidimyza). © agralan​

​The optimal living space that can attract beneficial insects is boards and sawdust, as well as tree bark and foliage.​ ​Beneficial predators - destroy harmful insects.​

​PRODUCTION TASK:​

​In spring and autumn, the female lays up to 100 eggs in a hole, which she digs out herself, guards them and takes care of her offspring - first about the eggs, and later about the larvae. Earwigs overwinter in shelters - in the bark of trees, cracks in buildings, in soil, in flower pots filled with small shavings or some other material, such as moss. After 18 days, the larvae hide in a protected place, wrap themselves and turn into a white round cocoon. After the lacewing emerges from the cocoon, the next generation begins. In total, 2 generations can appear per year. Adults feed, as a rule, on honeydew and pollen, and on occasion do not disdain small insects. The adult lacewing overwinters in secluded corners, so sometimes it can be found in residential areas. During the wintering period, the insect may acquire a yellow or brown color, but in the spring it turns green again.​

Pest control in the garden or vegetable garden becomes more and more fierce every year, old means of extermination cease to work, we have to try new ones, sometimes ineffective, or very expensive. And it should be taken into account that everyone is affected by the treatment, not only pests, but also beneficial insects. Unfortunately, the former reproduce and restore their numbers much faster than the latter.

Biological methods of controlling pests in gardens and vegetable gardens have long been known not only to scientists, but also to gardeners and gardeners. These methods help balance the pest population with the help of their natural predators.

Of course, there are no absolutely beneficial or harmful animals, insects and birds, but the dominance of pests brings undeniable harm. It is possible to make garden plants healthy and highly productive without resorting to the help of modern poisons, which can accumulate in fruits and significantly reduce their quality characteristics.

To do this, it is enough to protect and attract beneficial insects, birds and animals to personal plots. Their optimal quantity can significantly reduce the need to use protective drugs and concentrate on the use of non-toxic drugs that increase the overall resistance of green spaces to adverse environmental conditions and various diseases.

The following will help in pest control:

Birds in the garden

Birds, from the Latin Aves, can make any garden “alive.” Food for feathered insectivores includes caterpillars, butterflies, beetles and larvae.

A special period of activity for the destruction of garden pests occurs during the season of feeding their offspring.

It is known that only two tits are enough to protect 35-40 fruit trees from pests.

Some bird species are most useful in pest control:

• starling;
• tit;
• woodpecker;
• martin;
• wagtail;
• flycatcher;
• redstart;
• rook.

The benefits of birds in the garden are undeniable. One rook eats almost 500 wireworm larvae per day, and the titmouse destroys about 100 thousand pests over the summer period. When feeding its chicks, the starling transfers about 8 thousand larvae and adult individuals of the cockchafer to its nest.

How to attract birds to the garden

Most feathered defenders die in harsh and frosty winters not only from the cold, but also from lack of food.

Equipping the garden with various feeders and planting rowan trees helps preserve the population of wintering individuals. The greatest effect is achieved when placing titmouses and birdhouses in the garden.

When staying in country house all year round, do not forget to fill the feeders in winter, either with bird food, or with grain and berries, you can hang a piece of lard for tits, they love it very much.

Beneficial amphibians

The largest order of amphibians, or Anura, has long become a common inhabitant of gardens and vegetable gardens. Frogs and toads, as a rule, evoke a feeling of disgust and disgust. Meanwhile, they invisibly help our plantings, freeing them from the dominance of numerous pests.

Experienced gardeners know that the vision of frogs and toads allows them to react only to moving objects, so they hunt for numerous harmful insects and slugs. The benefits of frogs in gardening are very great. During the day, one individual destroys about 2 grams of flying and crawling pests.

They even eat insects that insectivorous birds “disdain.” And their ability to hunt in the dark makes them simply irreplaceable in the fight against cutworm butterflies, moths, caterpillars and slugs. The appearance of frogs and toads on the site serves as an excellent biological indicator of plant health.

How to Attract Frogs to the Garden

In order to attract amphibian defenders to help your garden and vegetable garden, you need to place containers of water in shaded areas or build a small pond with gentle banks.

You can use an old basin, trough or bathtub as a small artificial “reservoir”. They need to be equipped with small planks that will help frogs and toads easily get out of the water.

Beneficial insects

The word “insect” is translated as “animal with notches” and was mentioned in dictionaries in 1731.

Many gardeners regularly face the problem of low yields and the death of young seedlings and already fruit-bearing trees. In most cases, this is the result of the activity of various garden pests.

Many insects that live in our gardens are natural enemies of pests. Exposure to predatory insects, or entomophages, can reduce the number of major garden pests by almost 40%.

According to biologists, modern gardeners practically do not take into account the fact that the use of beneficial insects helps to get rid of aphids, caterpillars, snails and other pests much more effectively than the use of expensive pesticides.

Arachnids (Araneae)

Some species weave webs, some live in earthen burrows, and there are species that hide on the back of leaves. They all feed on various harmful insects and eat caterpillars, woodlice, flea beetles and cabbage moths.

Lacewing

An adult insect resembles a moth with delicate transparent wings folded in a house and shiny golden-green eyes; its larva is not inferior in its predatory habits to the larva of a ladybug.

The female lays about 20 greenish eggs, individually or in groups, on the bark or leaves. Larvae hatched from eggs develop depending on weather conditions within 2-3 weeks. Their length is only 7 mm, their jaws are long, sickle-shaped and pointed. With huge, curved jaws for its size, it grabs aphids and sucks them out, leaving only an empty skin.

For its habits, the lacewing used to bear the proud name “aphid lion.” The larvae of this insect are very aggressive predators and destroy large quantities of aphids, mites and other small pests. The grown larva, like a fur coat, is covered with a layer of empty skins, which it carries around for protection from the sun and for better camouflage. Individual individuals are capable of destroying up to 500 aphids during development.

After 18 days, the larvae hide in a protected place, wrap themselves and turn into a white round cocoon. After the lacewing emerges from the cocoon, the next generation begins. In total, 2 generations can appear per year. Adults feed, as a rule, on honeydew and pollen, and on occasion do not disdain small insects. The adult lacewing overwinters in secluded corners, so sometimes it can be found in residential areas. During the wintering period, the insect may acquire a yellow or brown color, but in the spring it turns green again.

The use of lacewing for targeted biological protection of plants in greenhouses and on protected ground has been tested and given good results. To do this, it is necessary to place 20 lacewing eggs on each square meter of surface, which can be purchased in special biological laboratories.

Settlement in the garden: prefer areas rich in flowering plants. Green-eyes need shelter for the winter in the form of small wooden houses filled with straw.

Ladybug

Not everyone knows that creatures that are harmless to humans are voracious predators, zealously exterminating smaller living creatures, mainly aphids. The appetite of the larvae is especially great. The ladybug larva is a not very pleasant creature without wings, with bright spots on a dark back. But when you see such a “worm” on a leaf, do not give in to the temptation to destroy it.

In many countries, ladybugs are bred specifically for sale to gardeners. Several dozen beetles can cause serious havoc in the ranks of aphids. An adult ladybug destroys hundreds of aphids, mealybugs, mites and thrips during its life.

Adult ladybugs overwinter in open ground, for example, under leaves or dry grass. In the spring, ladybugs lay 10-20 eggs in a vertical group on branches or on the inside of a leaf near aphid colonies. Larvae from eggs go through 4 stages.

Settlement in the garden: When using the ladybug as plant protection, its development cycles should be taken into account. For wintering, provide the insect with shelter (foliage, stones, bark, etc.).

Hoverflies are important in horticulture because their larvae feed on aphids. Larvae develop in different conditions - in soil, slurry or on plants. Visually, the hoverfly is similar to a wasp; the length of an adult is 8-15 mm. The peculiarity of hoverflies, reflected in their name, is that in flight they can seem to hover in place, while making a sound vaguely reminiscent of the murmur of water.

Egg laying occurs in aphid colonies. The eggs are 1 mm in size, oblong, white. The larvae that hatch from the eggs have no legs and move like snails. They are colored white or yellow and look like fly larvae.

To hunt for aphids, hoverflies use their hook-shaped jaws, with which they firmly hold the prey, sucking it out. The development of the larva to the pupal stage lasts 2 weeks. During this time, the larva eats up to 700 aphids. Hoverfly larvae are active mainly at night and go hunting no earlier than dusk. The hoverfly experiences the pupal stage in a droplet-shaped shell, located near the aphid colony on the leaves or on the ground. Selected species They hatch several generations, most of them up to 5 per year. In some species, females overwinter in the same way as larvae or pupae. The hoverflies themselves feed on flower and honeydew, as well as the secretions of aphids.

Settlement in the garden: Areas with flowering plants are most suitable for hoverflies, but not well-groomed lawns. Hoverflies especially love plants that bloom with yellow flowers. To overwinter hoverflies, you can leave small wooden boxes filled with dry grass or shavings.

Riders

In appearance, the riders resemble wasps and in most cases have a dark or variegated color. Their size varies and ranges from less than 1 mm to more than 10 mm. The rider lays eggs on an insect, its larva, caterpillar or in their bodies with the help of a special sting that pierces the body of the victim with lightning speed. The larva of the corresponding species of ichneumon hatches from the egg and sucks out the “host”.

Ichneumonid ichneumonids, true ichneumonids (Ichneumonidae)

One of the largest representatives of ichneumonids or true ichneumonids is the ephialtes emperor (Dolichomitus imperator). It is found both in Europe and here, in the European part of Russia.

It is quite easy to recognize by its black color, greatly elongated abdomen and red or dark red legs. The body length of the “emperor” can reach 3 centimeters, and the length of the ovipositor sometimes reaches 4 centimeters, but there is no other way. After all, his main “specialization” concerns the larvae of wood pests, which like to burrow deeper into the wood and think that they are completely safe here, but no! Nature has found control over them too.

Just imagine that with this hair-thin ovipositor, the rider is able to pierce a thick layer of bark! But this is actually true. This “drilling” operation sometimes lasts several hours.

But before proceeding to this stage, you first need to complete one more, no less difficult task - to determine the location of the future “cradle” for your babies. Thus, we smoothly move on to discussing another unique ability of these riders - accurately detecting the location of these larvae.

First, the female runs along the tree trunk and, in search of the location of the victim, taps it with her long antennae. But simply locating it is not enough. The main difficulty is that you need to lay your eggs in a specific place on the larva’s body, and not just anywhere. Therefore, the female ichneumon, it is not clear how, calculates the required angle of inclination at which to insert her ovipositor into the wood. At the same time, it is also worth taking into account the speed of movement of the larvae.

Having introduced her eggs into the victim, the female ichneumon leaves a special scent mark. This is done so that other females know that the place is already “occupied.” But the most offensive thing is that it is possible to find out about this only by drilling another hole and reaching the victim’s body.

But if another female neglects this signal and lays her eggs (egg) in the already “occupied” larva, then after a while real fighting will flare up inside her.

Trichogramma

A number of insects from the family Trichogrammatidae. Very small insects, usually less than 1 mm in length, which lay their eggs in the eggs of pests and destroy them. Currently, Trichogramma is grown in special laboratory nurseries and released into gardens and vegetable gardens at the rate of 50-60 thousand individuals per 1 hectare.

Its females lay eggs on sawfly larvae, caterpillars, bedbugs and beetles. Hatching insects destroy the pests on which they are located.

Tahins, hedgehogs

These flies love the sun, but not hot weather. At this time, tahini can most often be seen on plant flowers, where they feed on pollen and nectar. But not all species show their main activity during daylight hours.

If adult flies are true vegetarians, then their larvae are 100% predators.

According to the method of infecting other insects with their larvae, all hedgehog flies can be divided into 3 groups:

♦ The former lay their eggs on the leaves of plants, where sawfly caterpillars, butterfly caterpillars and other insect pests crawl nearby. Their eggs are so small that caterpillars eating a leaf may not even notice them.

Tahins, hedgehogs

♦ The latter specialize in soil insects and lay their eggs in the ground, where the larvae that hatch after some time begin an independent search for their future food base (adult insects or their larvae).

♦ Still others lay eggs directly “in” or “on” the body of the insect.

They are especially good for combating the Colorado potato beetle, gypsy moths, May beetles, bedbugs, butterflies and other pests.

Settlement of equestrians in the garden: it is necessary to arrange wintering “apartments” in tall grass or in the roots under bushes, etc. Equestrians like to settle in umbelliferous plants (dill, coriander, lovage, caraway, kupir, etc.).

Phytoseiulus

A predatory mite that destroys spider mites. The feeding and reproduction characteristics of Phytoseiulus lead to rapid destruction the bulk of the pest. The predator is especially effective at high air humidity and moderate temperatures.

Adult females lay up to 6 eggs per day, and over their lifetime they lay up to 100 eggs. The eggs are oval in shape. The color of the eggs is milky white, with a yellow tint.

The eggs hatch into yellowish-orange larvae with six pairs of legs. The body length of the larvae is approximately 0.2 millimeters. The larvae are inactive and do not eat anything. The larva turns into a nymph without feeding.

The nymph has 4 pairs of legs and moves actively. Over time, the nymph develops into a mobile deutonymph, and the next stage is an adult.

Body color can be different: orange, cherry or dark red. The limbs are designed in a special way so that ticks can slide between the spider threads. Predators are adult Phytoseiulus nymphs and deutonymphs, regardless of gender. Phytoseiulus feed not only on adult spider mites, but also on their eggs.

They are bred on vegetable crops in greenhouses. Phytoseiulus are indispensable protectors of tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplants, strawberries, melons and ornamental plants.

Red-legged softy

The female lays eggs in rotten stumps or soil and after some time dies along with the male. After a couple of weeks, they hatch into dark-colored larvae covered with thick hairs and appearance resembling beads connected to each other.

The larvae live and feed, running quickly in their shelter and remain there until spring, at the end of which they turn into a pupa. After 2 weeks, an adult beetle emerges from the pupa, ready to continue life within a month.

A small insect with powerful jaws, IIt is a predator and hunts small insects, such as aphids, flies, various larvae, caterpillars, leaf-eating pests, attacking them, biting and injecting poison, like a snake. After this, they release a digestive fluid that liquefies the tissues of the victim, and then absorb the food into themselves. As for the larvae, they are also predators and catch any small living creatures that they can catch.

Beetles can also eat flower petals and leaves, but extremely rarely.

The praying mantis is almost omnivorous in its taste preferences, and the subject of its hunt are not only aphids, mealybugs, thrips, caterpillars, corn borers, but also small lizards and young snakes.

The female lays from 10 to 400 eggs, which, like cockroaches, are packed into oothecae. Ootecae hang on the grass or on the branches of trees and shrubs. In regions with fairly cold winters, it is the oothecae that are the overwintering stage.

The praying mantis in the first larval stage has a worm-like shape, and after leaving the ooteca, it molts and acquires the characteristic appearance of a praying mantis.

The prey of the praying mantis is the vole mouse

In the mid-20th century in the USSR, attempts were made to strengthen the beneficial role of mantises in agriculture, using them for biological pest control. In the United States and some South Asian regions, mantises are kept in homes as fly killers, and mantis oothecae are also sold for farmers to add to their gardens. Currently, praying mantises are one of the most popular domestic insects.

Common earwig

The common earwig, which belongs to the order Leatherwing, is well known to gardeners and gardeners. The body length is 3.5-5 mm, the front wings are solid, the hind wings are membranous. There are also wingless forms. Its claws located in the back of the body are impressive. The earwig hunts mainly at dusk and at night, and during the day it hides in dark narrow crevices.

By destroying harmful insects such as dahlia woodlice, the earwig can damage tender young dahlia plants.

In spring and autumn, the female lays up to 100 eggs in a hole, which she digs herself, guards them and takes care of her offspring - first about the eggs, and later about the larvae. Earwigs overwinter in shelters - in the bark of trees, cracks in buildings, in soil, in flower pots filled with small shavings or some other material, such as moss.

Settlement in the garden: can be used as shelters flower pots filled with wood shavings, moss or hay. Such pots are placed between vegetable crops or hung on trees. Pots should be cleaned out in the winter and refilled in the spring. Digging around tree trunks promotes the normal functioning of the insect. Earwigs often also seek refuge for the winter under trees, in their fallen leaves.

Bedbugs

The predatory bug belongs to the class of weevils. Its different species have specific food sources. For some it is the juice of some plant, for others it is insects. The gardener is primarily interested in the latter, which, among other things, destroy aphids. These include soft-bodied and false bugs, among which some species feed primarily on spider mites.

Flower bugs are small predatory insects 3-4 mm long. At one time, the female lays up to 8 eggs, mainly along the edges of the leaves. During the year, bedbugs hatch 2 generations, and in areas with a warm climate even 3. Predatory bugs overwinter as adults. Larger species of the flower bug also feed on gall midge larvae.

Settlement in the garden: no special requirements or recommendations, except for the exclusion of the use of chemical plant protection products.

Some types of wasps

First type: For all their clumsiness, wasp larvae are insectivores, although they do not hunt on their own, but feed only on those insects that adults bring to them. Adult wasps of these species feed on the nectar of flowers, sweet juices of berries and fruits, but for the younger generation they catch insects, chew them and feed them in the form of a mushy mass.

Social wasps feed the brood:

• paper;
• European and Asian hornets;
• Polybiine wasps in the USA.

Second type: In most solitary wasps, the female prepares a small nest for the larvae in the form of a hole in the ground or a small paper shelter attached to vertical surface. The female brings an insect paralyzed, but not killed by poison, into this chamber and lays an egg on it. The wasp larva hatched from the egg slowly eats the insect, and begins to do so from those organs, the loss of which does not lead to the immediate death of the victim.

In some of these wasps, the female makes a sacrifice once, lays an egg and clogs the hole. In others, the adult may visit the nest from time to time and bring additional insects to it.

Settlement in the garden: put a Fabre hive in the garden, etc. (see information below)

Gallica

Various species of the gall midge family are better known to amateur gardeners as harmful insects (the larvae of some species develop in plant tissues, causing the formation of galls) than as helping in the fight against pests. The body length of gall midges varies from 1 to 5 mm. Well-known pests in the garden include, for example, the pear gall midge.

Beneficial gall midges feed on the larval stage of aphids. The most important species is Galica aphidimyza (Aphidoletes aphidimyza). The female (about 2-3 mm in size) lays 50-60 eggs in one life span of 1 week near the aphid colony. On the 4th-7th day, orange-red larvae hatch. The latter bite the aphids by the legs and inject a paralyzing liquid. The bitten aphid dies and is used by the larva for food. After 2 weeks, the fully formed larva falls to the ground and turns into a cocoon on the ground. After 3 weeks, the second brood hatches, whose larvae spend the winter in a cocoon on the ground and hatch in the spring as adults.

Settlement in the garden: no special conditions not required other than complete exclusion of use chemicals.

The main natural enemy of caterpillars, cutworms, beetles and flea beetles.

Ground beetle larvae feed on eggs of vegetable flies, small insects and their larvae, worms, and slugs. These beetles are rarely seen in the garden during the day; they hide in shelters. The length of the ground beetle is up to 4 cm, it is very mobile. Many species cannot fly and are therefore active at night. The color of the ground beetle is very diverse: large black and completely yellow flickering species are known. Adult insects overwinter in the garden in secluded, protected corners, for example, under a house or a woodpile.

Large ground beetles lay 40-60 eggs separately in shallow holes in the ground. The eggs hatch into larvae after a few days and hatch, depending on the species, 2-3 years later to become a pupa.

After a pupal period of approximately 2-3 weeks, they hatch into adult (developed) ground beetles. Along with ground beetles, which live mainly on the ground, there are also arboreal and flying species. They feed on small insects and worms and therefore live in rotting organic matter, such as compost.

Settlement in the garden: ground beetles should be provided with shelter (foliage, sawdust and shavings, small piles of stones); they live in open ground, sometimes hiding in earthen crevices. Pesticides are the worst enemy of ground beetles!

The optimal living space that can attract beneficial insects is boards and sawdust, as well as tree bark and foliage.

Houses sold in Europe “for ladybirds” and “for butterflies” usually look like small birdhouses or mailboxes. They are sometimes interestingly designed and serve as decoration summer cottage. You can make such a house yourself. However, it must be admitted that this structure is purely decorative, since neither ladybugs nor butterflies require houses in the summer. If you don’t specifically attract them with ferromones or a nutrient mixture, they will only get there by accident.

As for wintering, hibernating insects really need shelter where they can survive the cold. In our climate, it is advisable to arrange such shelters closer to the ground so that they are covered with snow. Old woodpiles, boards laid on the ground, pieces of bark, heaps of leaves and shavings gather a motley company under their roof. There are also centipedes - drupes and nooses, worms, and, of course, insects - ground beetles, various larvae, earwigs. Earwigs are usually considered pests, although they only begin to damage plants if they multiply heavily. At the same time, the earwig is not averse to hunting harmful insects.

Several cardboard tubes with a diameter of a little finger or a pencil and a length of 15–20 cm, tightly closed at one end, will serve as an apartment building for solitary bees. Unlike social bees and wasps, they are completely non-aggressive even near their home, and they pollinate plants no worse than the domestic honey bee. Some species of bees have also become rare in the European part of our country.

A bunch of tubes (in a horizontal position) can be hung under the roof of a house, barn, or in any other place protected from rain. Or make a house like for ladybugs and fill it with tightly packed tubes. Instead of paper tubes, you can take pieces of stems of umbrella plants, reeds or other similar plants. It is in them that solitary bees in nature settle.

You can drill holes in a piece of wood. Such a structure is called " Fabre's hive"- the famous French naturalist Jean Henri Fabre was the first to decide to place solitary bees literally under the roof of his house in such a simple way. It is very interesting to observe their work and habits.

Specialized predatory insects look for their “master” i.e. pest regardless of its number. Therefore, there should always be a certain number of different pests in the garden, no matter how paradoxical it may sound! Typically, plants are planted in the hedges around the garden on which pests develop and predatory insects survive. Only in this case can they prevent pest outbreaks. Polyphagous predatory insects show interest in a particular type of pest only when its numbers are high, so they are usually late.

Therefore, a diversity of predatory insect species is necessary for sustainable pest control. And to expand the species composition and reproduction of predatory insects, their nectar-bearing food plants should be sown. These are typically asteraceous umbelliferous and paniculate plants whose many small flowers provide multiple sources of nectar and together form a habitat for beneficial insects, including bees, and butterflies.

Among the plants that attract insects - protectors of the garden, the following should be noted:

The advantage of tansy is that an infusion of tansy leaves repels the Colorado potato beetle. On my own behalf, I will add that abundant tansy grass is good for use in composts. This compost does not breed mole cricket and chafer larvae.

Decoctions of tansy leaves and flowers contain many different vitamins and essential substances, improve the taste of kvass and dough, and jam is made from the flowers.

Chamomile. A perennial plant attractive to wasps and flies. During the flowering period it is covered with many yellow flowers.

Lemon marigolds. Attract small wasps and spiders. Seedlings are planted in the ground when the danger of frost has passed.

Caraway. Attracts sly bugs, spiders, small wasps, hoverflies and lacewings during the flowering period. Its aromatic seeds are used in baking and for making marinades.

Dill fragrant. Attracts ladybugs, hoverflies, small wasps, nestlings and spiders.

Buckwheat. It is an effective soil-forming plant that increases the content of organic matter when plowed.

Honey plant. Attracts not only pollinating bees, but also flies, ladybugs, hoverflies, and predatory bugs.

Spearmint used to make refreshing tea and as a fragrance. Mint is attractive to flies and spiders.

Many types of legumes have the ability to attract beneficial insects, such as crimson clover, creeping clover, and vetch. They provide beneficial insects with constant food and moisture and enrich the soil with nitrogen.

To ensure the availability of flowering plants throughout the season that are attractive to beneficial insects, you need to start with those that bloom earlier, for example, buckwheat, which will be replaced by fragrant dill. You should immediately plant marigolds and calendula so that they bloom in mid-summer. You should grow tansy, sweet clover and navel, which bloom for a long time from year to year.

It is advisable not to dig up areas of land with such plants in the fall, so that beneficial insects can overwinter there.

The goal of using beneficial insects is not to completely destroy pests, but to control their numbers.

By creating conditions that combine a favorable environment for beneficial insects and decorativeness, a natural balance can be achieved between the number of harmful and beneficial insects.