Beneficial Insect Houses

For many people, it's difficult to distinguish a "good" bug from a "bad" bug. More often than not, we associate all types of insects with "pests", but nine times out of ten this is not the case. The most commonly known beneficial insects include pollinators such as bees, some beetles, butterflies, and some moths. Others such as lady bugs, lacewings, and certain species of wasps target typical "pest" insects like caterpillars, aphids, and harmful beetles. Beneficial insects can pollinate fruiting and flowering plants as well as control the populations of dangerous garden insects. When faced with an infestation, most people spread pesticides to stop insect populations dead in their tracks. But what most people don't realize is that pesticides are not selective. They will not only exterminate the "bad" bugs in your yard, but the "good" ones as well. By promoting or introducing beneficial insect populations in your yard, you can effectively control and kill the pests without harming your friends. Why not let the bugs work for you? With the proper supplies, which you can find here at The Garden Barn, you can eventually garden without worrying about pesky insects harming your plants.

The first step is to attract the beneficial insects into your yard. It's as easy as planting flowering perennials, shrubs, and trees and providing some of the insects with a place to nest. Not only do we have the plants to attract the insects, we also carry their houses. Similar to a bird house, these bug homes are specially made to accommodate certain species of insects. By placing these houses near existing insect hotspots (hedges, nectar-rich flower beds, ponds or streams) you can give them a chance to thrive and, in return, they will maintain a healthy equilibrium in your yard. We have a large selection of insect houses in a range of size and price. Our smaller houses can attract a single insect species, like mason bees, lady bugs, or butterflies, whereas our insect "hotels" can house up to five or six different species at once. The hotels are divided up into equal sections to accommodate the different living environments of each species. To learn more about beneficial insects, click this link from the National Pesticide Information Center

Hanging Bee House