NATURAL CONTROL IS BEST FOR BERRIES

Natural pest control is the ideal way for home gardeners and commercial farms to manage pests. It limits the use of harmful insecticides, instead letting nature take its course. Here, we explore some of the good bugs in the garden and in the berry patch.

First, a shout out to Mother Nature. She is quite remarkable. Within nature, insects work in harmony with plants to enable the natural world to thrive. As growers, we can learn a lot from this, and apply natural solutions to the challenges associated with growing fruits and vegetables.

For natural pest control to work, you need to get to know the bugs in your garden – and differentiate between the good guys and the bad guys. Hundreds of bugs play an essential role in bringing food to your table, whether by pollinating your plants or eradicating the bad guys. 

Two of the most important insects on our berry farms are the persimilis mite and the bee.

Persimilis mite
This hungry little critter will go through your garden and eat up all of the harmful spider mites. If you’ve got an infestation of two-spotted spider mites or other damaging spider mite pests, then persimilis mites are a trusted way to eradicate them.

Persimilis mites will clean up crops and gardens naturally, preventing damage to plants without needing to use harmful insecticides.

You can buy these good bugs online from a range of retailers. 

Bees
Bees are the unsung heroes of gardening and farming. Over 85% of the world’s plants and one third of all the food we eat is dependent upon their pollination. Without bees, our natural world would suffer terribly.

We can see the proof of bees’ work in the quality of the berries we grow. On a blackberry or raspberry, the number of drupelets on each berry (these are the juicy little spheres) is directly related to the quality and number of bees that are pollinating our crops.

Unsurprisingly, bees don’t like to pollinate plants that are covered in pesticides. So it’s important that gardeners and farmers limit the use of harmful sprays. And it’s even more important that we look after bees’ habitats and minimise the spread of insect diseases to protect the global bee population. 

Get to know the good insects in your garden, and enjoy watching your plants thrive.