Farming with Native Beneficial Insects: Ecological Pest Control Solutions

by The Xerces Society

Harness the power of beneficial insects to deter pests and reduce crop damage. This comprehensive guide to farming with insects will have you building beetle banks and native plant field borders as you reap a bountiful and pesticide-free harvest. With strategies for identifying the insects you’re trying to attract paired with step-by-step instructions for a variety of habitat-building projects, you’ll soon learn how to employ your own biocontrol conservation tactics. Lay out the brush piles and plant the hedgerows because the insects are going to love it here!

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Nature, Reference

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2014

Reviews

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not only full of fascinating information, but incredibley helpful in working with (rather than against) nature. I'm seeing my backyard garden in a whole new light, and with more appreciation for the many little gardening "helpers" keeping things in balance and in good order. Even if you are not a farmer, and only plant a few tomatoes and flowers, it's an invaluable resource.

[Kristen Iworsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up for more ideas for my garden, but it’s definitely more geared to farms (you know, like the title says). Still some great and interesting information.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I received a digital ARC through NetGalley.**

Farming with Native Beneficial Insects in a fascinating look into the world of insects and what they mean to farmers. While this book is geared towards larger farms, the concepts can be applied to homesteaders or small gardens.

The beginning of the book delves into why certain insects are beneficial to farmers. With a detailed look into both the positive and negative aspects of utilizing beneficial insects in your pest control plan. The detailed look at a variety of insects was quite interesting and got me thinking more about how to incorporate the concepts into our garden. It even talked about how to have a higher success rate with using beneficial insects as pest control.

The next section jumps right into creating the best habitat for beneficial insects. It also talks about how healthy native plants generally do not harbor pests while non-native plants and crops tend to be an open invitation for pests. I appreciated how ideas for home gardeners are given throughout this section. It discussed how to prepare the site and how to sow the seeds for maximum effectiveness. There are even recommendations for plants based upon your region.

Many of the things talked about in the book went right along with what I've been learning about permaculture. I just never thought about the insect aspect prior to reading this book. The charts make understanding the information presented easy, and it's an easy way to do a quick look-up when you need the information. One of my favorite things was probably the insect identification section where it showed wonderful images of a variety of beneficial predators plus provided valuable information about the insects. It even has a section covering conservation plants with images and key facts about those plants.

If you're interested in utilizing beneficial insects in your garden as a more natural approach to pest control, you'll want to check out this book.

[Matt Kruse · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first, I'm rating this based on it's usefulness to a home gardener rather than a farmer. The theories sound good to me on a big scale, but I'm not in a position to really judge that.

For the home gardener, this book provides a practical guide to steps you can take to increase populations of natural predators and paraditoids, giving you free, natural pest control. Providing tips for what to plant and how to provide shelter, it's a good overview and enough to get you started.