This revised and updated edition of Jessica Walliser's award-winning
Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden offers a valuable and
science-backed plan for bringing balance back to the garden.
With this indispensable gardening reference--now updated with new
research, insights, and voices--learn how to create a healthy,
balanced, and diverse garden capable of supporting a hard-working crew
of beneficial pest-eating insects and eliminate the need for
synthetic chemical pesticides.
After a fascinating introduction to the predator and prey cycle and its
importance to both wild ecosystems and home gardens, you'll meet
dozens of pest-munching beneficial insects (the predators) that feast
on garden pests (their prey). From ladybugs and lacewings to parasitic
wasps and syrphid flies, these good guys of the bug world keep the
natural system of checks and balances in prime working order. They help
limit pest damage and also serve a valuable role in the garden's
food web. But, they won't call your garden home if you don't have the
resources they need to survive.
With a hearty population of beneficial insects present in your garden,
you'll say goodbye to common garden pests like aphids, cabbage worms,
bean beetles, leafhoppers, and hornworms, without reaching for a spray
can. To encourage these good guys to stick around and do their important
work, you'll learn how to create a welcoming habitat and fill your
garden with the best plants to support them.
Inside you'll find:
- Bug profiles introducing dozens of beneficial insects and the
down-and-dirty details on how they catch and eat their prey
- Plant profiles featuring the best plants for supporting
beneficials
- Interviews with entomologists who focus their life's work on
understanding the value of insects, including Doug Tallamy, Paula
Shrewsbury, Leslie Allee, Dan Herms, and others
- An inspiring look at how plants and insects intersect in the most
incredible ways
- Why gardening for bugs is just as important to the greater world
as it is to your garden
- Tips for creating insectary plantings and borders to support a
broad range of beneficials
The acclaimed first edition of Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your
Garden ushered in a new way to garden; one that appreciates and
understands of the power of returning a natural balance to the
garden. This revised and updated edition continues to herald and
expands on that same important message.
