Why Insects Are a Gardener’s Best Friends
More than 24,000 insect species can be found across the UK, with hundreds potentially visiting our gardens and green spaces.
Although insects come in many different shapes and sizes, some of their most important jobs include pollinating plants, controlling garden pests and recycling organic material. Encouraging them into your garden can help create a healthier and more naturally balanced growing environment.
Pollinators help plants produce fruit and seeds
Bees, butterflies, moths, hoverflies and other insects carry pollen between flowers.
This allows many plants to produce fruit and seeds, making pollinators particularly valuable around fruit trees, vegetable plants and flowering crops.
Grow simple, open flowers that make nectar and pollen easy to reach. Chives, thyme, marjoram, dill, yarrow and single-flowered marigolds are all useful additions.
Predatory insects provide natural pest control
Ladybirds, lacewings, hoverfly larvae and ground beetles feed on common garden pests such as aphids.
Creating a welcoming habitat for these natural predators can help keep pest populations under control without immediately reaching for a spray.
A few aphids are not necessarily a problem. They provide food for beneficial insects and help support a balanced garden ecosystem.
Decomposers recycle nutrients
Many beetles, flies and other small creatures help break down dead leaves, wood and other organic material.
This natural process returns nutrients to the soil and supports the organisms that keep it healthy. Compost heaps and undisturbed areas of leaf litter can become valuable habitats for these hardworking recyclers.
Avoid unnecessary pesticides
Pesticides can harm beneficial insects as well as the species you are trying to control.
Avoid spraying open flowers and use non-chemical solutions wherever possible. Healthy plants, varied planting and natural predators can often prevent small pest problems from becoming serious.
Provide flowers throughout the year
Grow a mixture of plants that flower at different times, ensuring nectar and pollen are available from early spring until autumn.
Choose single, open flowers rather than relying entirely on highly bred double varieties, which may contain little accessible nectar or pollen.
Grouping several plants of the same variety together can also make them easier for visiting insects to find.
Create places to shelter
A slightly less tidy garden can offer insects many safe places to live and overwinter.
Try adding:
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A pile of untreated logs in a quiet corner
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Dry hollow stems bundled in a sheltered position
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Fallen leaves beneath shrubs
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Areas of longer grass
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A sunny patch of bare soil for ground-nesting bees
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Stones and pebbles around the back of a border
Leave some perennial stems standing over winter and avoid tidying every area of the garden at once.
Add a safe source of water
Place a shallow saucer of fresh water among your plants and add several pebbles that rise above the surface. These give insects somewhere safe to land and drink without falling into deep water.
Clean the dish and replace the water regularly.
Welcome beneficial insects into your garden
Creating an insect-friendly garden is an enjoyable activity for the whole family. Even a few flowering plants, a shallow water dish and a small area of shelter can make a difference.
Visit Coletta & Tyson Garden Centre in Woodmansey, near Beverley and Hull, to explore our seasonal plants, seeds and wildlife-gardening products. Our friendly team will be happy to help you create a garden that is buzzing with life.