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market-farming - Re: Beneficial Insects

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Ava Devenport" <essenheal AT iname.com>
  • To: market-farming
  • Subject: Re: Beneficial Insects
  • Date: Sun, 28 May 2000 16:36:9


On 05/28/00, "Cheri Shelnutt <cshel AT usit.net>" wrote:
> Just curious, how many on the list use beneficial insects and how much
> do you feel it helps? Do you plant habitat to draw them or actually
> order them? Who do you order from and are you happy with them?
>
> Thanks,
> Cheri Shelnutt
> Sweet Hollow Farm
> NE Tennessee

Dear Cheri:

I have always used beneficial insects, but I provide the natural habitat
and they just come. I have heard that it's a waste of money to purchase
the insects as they naturally travel, so planting habitat for them
encourages them to come and stay.

The insects have a myriad of purposes. They help pollinate, eliminate the
'pests' (which may chew or suck the life out of your crop), and help the
over-all balance of the eco-system by providing a 'food-chain'. So often
we bring in plants that are not native to the area so there are no natural
enemies to ward off the attackers and disease. In this case, I would
definitely plant habitat before purchasing the beneficials.

Just last year, I could have lost an entire crop of milkweed to aphids, but
thank goodness, the ladybugs were in force along with some other small,
winged creature, and made quick business of the problem. I couldn't have
done a better job myself.

One VERY BIG lesson I've learned along the way, though, is tog get a good
field guide so that you can identify the pests from the beneficials. Quite
often the pest will parady the other, but there is a small distinct
difference that you need to look for, dependant upon the insect.

And also, don't pick the big yellow and black caterpillars off the leaves
of any asclepias (butterfly bush, orange glory flower, milkweeds) as they
are Monarch butterfly. The only thing the caterpillar eats is the milkweed
species. I had done this very thing 3 seasons in a row, without knowledge
of what I was doing.

Blessings,
Ava




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