Friends of the Garden: Beneficial Insects




Could you outrun Usain Bolt when confronted by a bug in the garden? In my line of work I often run across the well-meaning, would-be-gardener who says, “I want to start gardening, but I hate bugs! What can I plant that won’t attract bugs?” After a hearty laugh, I go into my spiel about insects being an important part of any garden and let them know, there is no gardening without bugs. If you’re squeamish, take heart! After we look at all the good things these little guys do, maybe you will begin to appreciate and tolerate them a little more. Let’s look at a three particular insects that benefit our garden, but seem a little scary to some.


Bees

I’m starting here because bees are such an important part of our environment and their numbers are declining. Bees are important because they are the greatest pollinator of flowers. To bring this closer to home or our dinner tables, that means the flowers from which most fruits and vegetables derive from, depend on bees to pollinate them so the fruit will develop. So if you want to have any kind of food production from your garden, you need bees.
Take heart if you’re afraid of them. The bottom line is we are not on their diet, so they really aren’t interested in us. Most importantly, they DO NOT want to sting us! When a bee stings someone, its stinger (which is a part of its body) usually breaks off in the victim causing the bee to die, so bees do not want to sting anyone. They use stinging as a last resort, usually when we are swatting at them and they feel threatened. The best thing to do when you see a bee is to ignore it and don’t make a lot of sudden, jerky movements. I work side-by-side with bees every day in gardens and never get stung. I enjoy watching these fascinating creatures that come in so many varieties. There are more than 300 types of bees that are native to Texas. From the giant bumble and carpenter bees to tiny little iridescent varieties that are often mistaken for small flies, these insects are worth a second look in the garden.



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