Banish Bad Garden Bugs, Welcome Beneficial Insects

Summer brings garden enjoyment — and a legion of pests. But with planning and old-school knowledge, you can deter the bad bugs and invite beneficial insects without chemicals.

Rossington Architecture

4 Garden Pests and How to Eliminate Them

Mosquitoes

They breed in stagnant water. Keep water features moving with pumps. Add fish (goldfish, minnows, bettas) to ponds — they eat larvae. Plant repellents: catnip (perennial), marigolds (annual) in pots around patios and windows.

Wasps

Aggressive carnivores ruin outdoor meals. Move summer-blooming plants away from dining areas. Deter with a bowl of crushed cloves on the table — wasps hate the smell.

Ants

Focus on nests and food sources. Ants dislike cinnamon and mint. Sprinkle cinnamon or place contained mint (invasive!) at mounds. They "farm" aphid honeydew — controlling aphids cuts off this food supply.

Aphids

Blast off with hose (most effective, avoids soap-spray leaf damage). Introduce beneficial insects.

Kim Gamel

The New York Botanical Garden

2 Beneficial Insects and How to Welcome Them

Ladybugs

Adult eats up to 1,000 aphids/day. Buy at garden centers, but help them stay:

• No insecticides; confirm aphids present.
• Release at night (they don't fly at night) near affected plants.
• Provide alternative food: pollen from marigolds, fennel, dill, geraniums.

Le jardinet

Mason Bees

Not pests — vital pollinators. Global honeybee decline makes them crucial. Easy to introduce: source a mason bee house and cocoons. Provide water (for mud to pack cocoons) and flowering plants. Cocoons hold dormant bees that activate at 57°F+ noontime temps. Keep in fridge until release. They don't form hives, live short lives, pollinate all summer. Fall cocoons can be refrigerated for next spring.