Greetings from The Neighborhood Farm!
Beneficial Insects:
We're planning on participating in
The Lost Ladybug Project. Here is the explanation of the
project from the entomologists at Cornell University.
"Over the past twenty years several native ladybug species that
were once very common have become extremely rare.... During this
same time several species of ladybugs from other places have
greatly increased both their numbers and range. Besides being
incredibly cool and charismatic, ladybugs are also essential
predators in both farms and forests that keep us from being
overrun with pests (like aphids and mealybugs). In many areas
the native ladybugs are being replaced by exotic ones. This has
happened very quickly and we don't know how this shift happened,
what impact it will have (e.g. will the exotic species be able
to control pests as well as our familiar native ones always
have) and how we can prevent more native species from becoming
so rare."
Project participants take digital pictures of any ladybugs they
find, upload the pictures to the project website, and include
information like date, time, location and a description of the area
where the ladybugs were found. Entomologists will identify the
type of ladybug and add the information to the database. This
will help them track population changes.
Why are ladybugs important to us? Ladybugs are a type of
beneficial insect, and as organic farmers, we rely heavily on
beneficial insects to keep our crops from being eaten by pest
insects. Other types of beneficial insects include honey bees,
parasitic wasps, certain types of beetles, lacewings and praying
mantises. You can purchase many types of beneficial insects
for your garden from companies like
Arbico-Organics, however most growers find that it is more
practical to nurture a consistent population of beneficials by
creating a hospitable environment for them. Interplanting
crops (planting more than one type of crop in an area) can be useful
because different insects are attracted to different plants.
Leaving a "wild" area near the garden can provide a habitat for
beneficial insects.
Upcoming Event:
Here's a plug for an event sponsored by The League of Women Voters
in Needham. We'll have an informational table at this event,
as will a number of other interesting local farm and food folks.