This revised and updated edition of Jessica Walliser’s award-winning
Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden
offers a valuable and science-backed plan for bringing balance back to the garden.
With this indispensable gardening reference—now updated with new research, insights, and voices—learn how to
create a healthy, balanced, and diverse garden capable of supporting a hard-working crew of beneficial pest-eating insects
and
eliminate the need for synthetic chemical pesticides
.
After a fascinating introduction to the predator and prey cycle and its importance to both wild ecosystems and home gardens, you’ll
meet dozens of pest-munching beneficial insects
(the predators) that feast on garden pests (their prey). From ladybugs and lacewings to parasitic wasps and syrphid flies, these
good guys of the bug world
keep the natural system of checks and balances in prime working order. They help
limit pest damage
and also serve a valuable role in the garden's food web. But, they won't call your garden home if you don't have
the resources they need to survive
With a hearty population of beneficial insects present in your garden, you’ll
say goodbye to common garden pests like aphids, cabbage worms, bean beetles, leafhoppers, and hornworms
, without reaching for a spray can. To encourage these good guys to stick around and do their important work, you'll learn how to
create a welcoming habitat and fill your garden with the best plants
to support them.
Inside you’ll find:
Bug profiles introducing dozens of beneficial insects
and the down-and-dirty details on how they catch and eat their prey
Plant profiles featuring
the best plants for supporting beneficials
Interviews with entomologists
who focus their life's work on understanding the value of insects, including Doug Tallamy, Paula Shrewsbury, Leslie Allee, Dan Herms, and others
An inspiring look at
how plants and insects intersect
in the most incredible ways
Why
gardening for bugs
is just as important to the greater world as it is to your garden
Tips for
creating insectary plantings and borders
to support a broad range of beneficials
The acclaimed first edition of
ushered in a new way to garden; one that appreciates and understands of
the power of returning a natural balance to the garden
. This revised and updated edition continues to herald and expands on that same important message.