6. Good Organic Gardening - November-December 2016 AvxHome.in

Beneficial insects | PEST PATROL
Blue-banded: Around the size of a European
honeybee, this bee has distinctive blue bands
on its abdomen.
Leafcutter: Sometimes the only way you
know these bees are present in your garden
is by the very neat semi-circular bites in your
rose leaves. They take these pieces of leaf
away to create their nests.
Others to look for: Reed, Carpenter and
Teddy Bear.
Bees, of course, like many other insects,
are very sensitive to pesticide exposure. So,
if you want to increase your bee population,
plant more flowers and stop spraying any
toxic pesticides. Even organic pesticides
should only be used as a last resort and only
at times when bees aren’t around, such as
in the late afternoon. Research shows that
the neonicotinoid pesticides are the worst
in affecting bee health and adding to bee
population decline.
Native Leaf Cutter bee
Native Blue Banded bee
(Amegilla spp.)
David Rentz, Sandra Tuszynska, Shutterstock, Claire Bickle
Beetles; Order:
Coleoptera
No word of a lie, there are more species of
beetle on this planet than of any other creature!
And with so many species come the many
varied roles they play within the environment.
From dung beetles to predatory types,
these little fellows reign supreme in our
gardens. The various carnivorous beetle
species are the best at pest removal. And, of
course, there are some beetle species that are
a curse to gardeners, such as the 28-spotted
ladybeetle, the hibiscus beetle and all the
borer beetles whose larvae can wreak havoc
in established tree trunks and branches. The
vast majority, though, are beneficial, with
ladybeetles the most recognised.
There are huge numbers of ground beetle
species, rove beetles and soldier beetles,
and these desirable beetles can be found on
plants and under leaf litter and bark, waiting
for their prey; some will even actively patrol
the garden seeking out their prey.
A lot of beetles tend to be more active
at night so they are protected under the
cover of darkness from larger predators
coming after them.
Encourage beetles to your garden by
leaving leaf litter in place, having good
biodiversity and taking the time to educate
yourself to recognise which are beneficial
species and which are not.
Butterflies; Order:
Lepidoptera
Butterflies truly capture the imagination of
the young and old alike when found fluttering
around in nature or in the garden.
But everyone needs to remember that
butterflies, of course, start off as humble
caterpillars, so killing all the caterpillars
in your garden can greatly reduce your
butterfly numbers.
Butterflies are important pollinators, as
are moths. They happily float about many
a garden, drinking nectar from flowers with
their long probosces. Some species live for up
to six months, others only a few days.
Moths are also classed as pollinators and
they actively seek out nectar in the evening
rather than during the day, attracted by many
white and/or scented flowers.
To attract butterflies to your garden, you
not only need to have a diverse range of
nectar-producing flowers but you also need
to know which host plant suits each species
of butterfly. The caterpillars of each species
are usually very plant-host-specific. A little
research on local butterfly species will soon
have you on the road to knowing what to
plant for your hungry grubs.
Plague Soldier beetle
(Chauliognathus lugubris)
Blue Tiger butterfly
in my garden
Common Australian butterflies
Orchard Swallowtail, Common Crow, Blue
Triangle, Lemon Emigrant, Wanderer, Evening
Brown, Blue Tiger. How many species can you
spot in your garden?
Good Organic Gardening | 59