Lizards, Ladybugs and Wasps, Oh My!
Can you believe that May is here?! We made it through winter, charged into spring and are on our way to summer now! Oh my, that happened fast! I am sure most of us have some, if not all, of our gardens planted and might be experiencing the first of our harvests this season. Have you begun dealing with pests yet? While I haven’t yet had to deal with pests in the garden, here at our farm we have been dealing with them for a couple of months now in the greenhouse. While caterpillars, white flies, and spider mites seem to come on this time of year, aphids seem to be ever-present. In the past, I have always reached for a pesticide to address these problems but have started to shy away from this method the past couple of years. (Although, with so many plants in one compact space, I have come to realize that some spraying in a greenhouse is a necessary practice to ensure the health of the plants.) I practice what I call ‘responsive spraying’. Basically, I only use organic pesticides when they’re needed. However, this year I have been paying closer attention to the life in the greenhouse and researching how our little ecosystem functions inside that small space. This winter while I was starting our seeds, I noticed several lizards were enjoying the warmth of the greenhouse while it was too cold for them to be out and about outside. I wondered how they were surviving in such a small space without a food source-or so I thought! It turns out that lizards were enjoying the insects, spiders, and aphids! that were also overwintering in the greenhouse. About a month ago I saw several orange and black bugs I was unfamiliar with. In defense of my baby plants, my first instinct was to spray. But, after some research, I discovered that it was a ladybug in the larvae stage. I was so excited! It turns out that these larvae will eat approximately 400 aphids in the weeks before they reach the pupa stage. I now have many ladybugs in the pupa stage and some that have already changed into adults. And the number of aphids I’m finding in the greenhouse has dramatically decreased! Since the weather has been warming these past several weeks, the number of bees and wasps is increasing. Since I have been learning so much about how lizards and ladybugs work as natural pesticides, I am now determined to see if wasps can be helpful as well. So far, my research has taught me that on top of nectar from flowers, wasps will also eat insects including spiders and caterpillars. I am very excited that they feed on caterpillars! Last year we had a bit of damage from caterpillars so I’m hoping these guys will help us to naturally mitigate that issue this year! I hope you are able to observe some of these same natural wonders in your garden or greenhouse this year. I love learning new ways to grow and care for plants, especially when it's as easy as just watching nature at work!
Happy Gardening!
Jessica