A ladybug being a beneficial isnects and hunting aphids on a plant.

Whether you have a decorative or food garden keeping it pest-free is important. While pesticides are an effective way to keep insects away from your yard, they are not naturally occurring. For your home garden, try adding some predatory and beneficial insects instead.

Beneficial insects will keep your garden free of harmful bugs that may destroy the fruits of your labor. Keep reading to learn more about the right insects to add around your home to have a beautiful and bountiful garden.

But, if you need a little help getting started, Environmental Pest Management is ready to assist you by safely and effectively ridding your home and garden of unwanted pests or rodents. Contact us today, and we’ll work together to develop your pest-control plan.

What Are Beneficial Insects?

Beneficial bugs eat others, and in turn, provide natural pest control. These helpful insects are mainly attracted to flowering plants and can sometimes be purchased in stores online.

Beneficial insects feed as both young and adults on other bugs. These bugs are ideal for helping to control unwanted Aphid, Whitefly, and Mealybug populations.

Examples of beneficial insects include a Minute Pirate Bug, Lady Beetle (also known as a Ladybug), and Crab Spider. Another type of valuable insect species is called a Parasitoid. They seek other insects as hosts in which to lay their eggs.

Small wasps are common parasitoids. When these wasp eggs hatch, the young feed and develop within the insect host and eventually kill it.

The MSU Extension has an educational and colorful brochure that shows these and other beneficial predator bugs that work well to prevent other harmful insects.

The Pollinators

When it comes to beneficial insects, there are more than just predatory bugs you want.

By far, pollinating is the most common reason any insect is thought of when ‘good.’

Pollination is an integral part of plant reproduction. According to the U.S. Forest Service, pollination creates crucial genetic diversity and allows for adequate fruit growth and seed dispersal.

Without pollination, there likely wouldn’t be many plants.

Bees are one of the most popular pollinators.

In the Midwest, there are five prominent bee families. The family names are Apidae, Andrenidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae, and Colletidae.

Included in the Apidae family are honey bees, bumblebees, and carpenter bees. These are familiar sights to most people who step outside in the spring, summer, and early fall.

Honey bees need little explanation. They collect pollen, then it falls during transport, making honey in their nest from the nectar.

Bumblebees are also important pollinators.

Interestingly, Bumblebees pollinate by sonicating or buzzing and by using their tongue.

This sonicating is necessary to get the most pollen loose from these plants. Their loud buzzing isn’t to scare you at all, but rather a useful adaptation that makes them the super-pollinators they are.

Bumblebees vibrate their wing muscles, making a buzzing noise, which causes the anthers to shake out pollen grains, successfully pollinating plants.

Bring The Good Bugs to You

Use integrated pest management theory to attract beneficial bugs while you control garden pests.

Certain plants will attract the beneficial insects you want.

All flowers and plants to be discussed are native to the north-central United States. In the Twin Cities area, helpful bugs and garden pests won’t have flowering plants to feed on until mid-late May.

Whether you are planting for food or aesthetic purposes, flowers can provide a safety border. For instance, to protect your tomato plants, add some marigolds.

Marigolds naturally attract aphids. Aphids are tasty and call to good predators like Crab Spiders, Ladybugs, and Pirate Bugs. If the Aphids and predator bugs are distracted by your Marigolds, it will give your tomato plants some much-needed protection.

Creating a Security Border

When you prepare your gardens to attract the good bugs, you also protect your home from unwanted pests.

Think of a floral security border as you would a child’s pinwheel. It spins, like the seasons changing, yet you always see colors.

In the first of the growing season, mid-late May, little more than wild strawberry or Golden Alexanders will grow. As you move into June, more variety is available, including hairy Beardtongue, Angelica, and Cow Parsnip.

In July, flowering options widen more. Indian Hemp, Late Figwort, Culver’s Root, and more are excellent options to draw those beneficial insects, the bees.

It may be a reflex to swat when you hear the buzzing sound. Science shows more and more benefits bees offer to our environment.

Once you have planted your vegetables or flowers, welcome the buzz!.

You’ve given these beneficial insects a buffet of pollen and nectar to devour, and they’ll return the favor by pollinating your plants.

Do you want to identify plants in your garden? This colorful graph matches the flowers’ names and pictures.

Michigan State University gives detailed information regarding plants grown throughout the northern midwest. It is an exceptional resource for using biological control of unwanted pests.

One More Good Bug

Ground Beetle is a catch-all name given to one of the types of beneficial insects in the Carabidae family. They are also known as Carabids.

Ground Beetles are among the largest insect families, with approximately 40,000 species worldwide and 2,339 species in the United States. The adult beetles hunt primarily on the soil surface but sometimes climb into the foliage, searching for food.

While the adults are beneficial insects, the burrowing larvae of these beetles also seek out and feed on pests in the soil. Many ground beetle species have broad feeding habits, eating other insects and plants’ seeds (including weeds). Ground Beetles like to snack on mites, slugs, snails, caterpillars, cutworms, earwigs, vine borers, aphids, and other insects.

If you find your garden is infested by any of these unwanted bugs, it might be time to call in the Ground Beetles.

You Aren’t Alone

We’ve offered some creative and earth-friendly ideas to control bad bugs around your home, office, or other commercial building. If you don’t have the time or desire to do it on your own, don’t stress.

Protect your home from unwanted pests. Reach out to Environmental Pest Management for an inspection today.

Bees Are Important

A bee pollinating a purple flower with a yellow center.

Usually, when we think of bees, we don’t think about them in a good way. The first thought that comes to mind is being stung. We understand that. Bee stings not only hurt us but also kill the bees. But let’s not forget that bees are vital to our planet.

Bees are responsible for a lot of the food other mammals and humans eat. Yes, there are other methods of pollination, but bees are responsible for about one-sixth of the pollination that occurs, and they pollinate a number of agricultural plant types, i.e., our food.

The very work of pollination is a wonderfully natural way to maintain our system of food production. We already hear of food shortages and people starving. This problem would be accelerated if there was a decrease in bees.

So do we need bees? Yes. But there are times when we need to be wary of bees.

Why Should You Get Rid of Bees

A large wasp nest in a tree. Wasps are a type of bee you should considering removing.

Allergies to bees: There are people with allergies to bees so severe that they could die from a simple bee sting. If there is someone in your family with a bee allergy, it is essential to do what you can to make sure there are no bees around your home. Learning how to get rid of bees is a piece of knowledge that can save them a visit to the emergency room–or even save their life.
Bee Stings: Most of us have been stung by a bee at least once in our lives. We can all agree that bee stings hurt. If you have a bee nest or hive near your home, the chance of bee stings greatly increases for you and your family. Some bee stings are worse than others, and sometimes the location of the nest, like in the ground, can increase the chance of multiple bee stings for your children or pets, which may be out playing in the yard.
Aggressive Bees: Bees can be bad enough when they aren’t feeling aggressive, but sometimes they can amp up and go on the offensive. The reasons why they can become more aggressive include a lack of flowers in the area to pollinate. Other stressors are hot weather and feeling a need to protect their nest. The possibility of dealing with bee aggression is an excellent reason to look for ways to get rid of them from your home.

How To Get Rid of Bees: Home Remedies

There are numerous ways to get rid of bees naturally. Some of these methods are safe for the environment but kill the bees, while others are safe for both the bees and the environment. Below are six ways to get rid of bees.

Call a Beekeeper: If you live in an area where you can find a beekeeper, this is an amazing first choice. Beekeepers are professionals when it comes to working with bees. A beekeeper would more than likely love to take the beehive and take care of the bees and keep them alive.

Soda: Bees love sweet liquids. This method involves cutting a soda bottle or can in half and filling it up with a very sweet soda, then placing it in an area where you have noticed a lot of bees. The bees will be attracted to the soda and come to drink it. Note, this method is environmentally friendly but will kill the bees as they will eventually drown in the soda.

Moth Balls: There are some smells that bees don’t like and mothballs are one of them. To use mothballs, hang them near the bee nest or nests, and eventually, the smell will deter the bees from coming back. You can also hang mothballs in different places around your yard to keep your entire yard bee-free.

Vinegar Spray Solution: Vinegar spray is a great natural way to get the bee out of your yard, as well as simple to make and use. Just mix equal amounts of water and vinegar in a spray bottle, shake and the mixture on the nest when the bees are sleeping, at night, as well as around plants where you tend to see a lot of bees. This mixture will kill the bees, so make sure you remove all of the dead bees.

Cinnamon: If you find a hive and want the bees to relocate without killing them, consider sprinkling cinnamon around their hive every day for about a week. The smell will send the bees looking for a place to relocate.

Repel Bees Using Plants: A great way to keep bees out of your yard without having to remove them or kill them is to plant bee repelling plants around your home. Having these plants around your home should prevent bees from even stopping there. Citronella, Mint, and Eucalyptus plants are good bee repelling plants and easy to grow. If you’re not much of a gardener, try citronella candles to help repel many types of bees.

When To Call In a Professional

A pest control specialist teaching a customer the best way for how to get rid of bees naturally.

There are going to be times when calling a professional will be your best option, even if you are comfortable attempting to get rid of the bees yourself. Bees can make nests in tricky spots like the ground, in the siding of your home, and other hard-to-reach areas. This is what professionals do for a living, so tap into their expertise.

We understand that getting the bees away from your home is essential to you. We also understand that bees are crucial to the earth and do a fantastic job at helping provide food and beauty to the planet. Finding a way to keep your family and the bees safe is a top priority for Environment Pest Management as it is for you.

If you would like more information about bee removal in Minnesota, give us a call. Pest control is what we’re all about, and we would be happy to help you.

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Fill Your Garden With These Beneficial Insects