By Cindy King, CPH, The Mill of Kingstown
Cindy hasn't used chemical sprays in her garden for years. She loves the pollinators, beneficial insects, and birds that visit regularly. Her garden features layers of native plants that attract all kinds of insects, and she hasn't lost a single plant to pest damage in years.
In today’s world, we’ve come to rely heavily on chemicals—driven by a desire for perfection. We expect pristine lawns, pest-free gardens, and flawless fruits and vegetables. But this pursuit of perfection has come at a cost.
For thousands of years, we lived without synthetic chemicals, and nature thrived. Diverse plant life filled the landscape, and gardens were rich with a variety of fruits and vegetables. Diversity was king—and it created a natural balance.
However, when agriculture shifted to monocultures—growing single crops like wheat, corn, or potatoes—we disrupted that balance. Chemicals were introduced to improve crop yields, but over time they have infiltrated the environment, killing both harmful and beneficial insects. The natural equilibrium we once had is disappearing, driving an even greater dependence on chemicals.
If you’re a gardener who wants to reduce or eliminate chemical use, diversity is your best ally. Incorporating a mix of insectary plants along with your fruits and vegetables, layering different plant types, and allowing your garden’s insect population to evolve naturally can encourage beneficial insects (good bugs) to thrive. These good bugs help control pest populations to the point that any damage becomes minimal or unnoticeable. As a bonus, welcoming beneficial insects also supports wild bird populations and other forms of wildlife.
Good bugs include lady beetles, lacewings, tiger beetles, soldier beetles, ground beetles, hoverflies, predatory bugs, parasitic wasps, and many others. These species are known for their voracious appetites and their ability to eliminate pests like aphids, bagworms, leafhoppers, whiteflies, mealybugs, tent caterpillars, and webworms.
Here’s how this natural balance works: as your plants begin to grow, some bad bugs may appear and start feeding on leaves or flowers. Our instinct is often to panic and reach for a spray bottle. However, spraying may eliminate the pests—but it also kills the beneficial insects that would have helped manage the problem.
If you wait and allow the infestation to persist for a week or two, you’ll often see nature step in. Good bugs will arrive to feast on the pests, but they only appear when there is enough food (pests and larvae) to support their life cycle.
Take lacewings, for example. A single lacewing larva—also called an “aphid lion”—can consume up to 400 aphids, 11,000 spider mites, or 3,500 scale insects during its two-week development. The adult lacewing needs nectar from composite flowers and other plants for energy and can lay up to 600 eggs in her lifetime.
To complete her full life cycle in your garden, she’ll need a staggering amount of food for her offspring—roughly 240,000 aphids, 6.6 million spider mites, or 2.1 million scale insects. If those resources aren't available, she won’t reproduce, because she won’t let her young starve.
Simply put, good bugs depend on pest populations to sustain future generations. If you're considering a chemical-free approach, try holding back. Observe and allow nature to respond. Trust the good bugs—they’re ready to help if you give them the chance.
