I’ve always thought that if I can entice insects and wildlife into my garden, then well… I’m doing something right;
even if I don’t always notice them, I’m doing something right.
Of course, we all know that insect numbers are falling but, as depressing as that is, here are three simple steps we can take to help and encourage them in our gardens.
First of all, and the most simplest, just don’t use non-organic pesticides. Why would you want to spray poison on your garden, anyway?
Like any gardener, I am occasionally bothered by pest insects, but generally I find that when non-organic treatments prove ineffective, a useful predator will come along to lend a hand.
The second step is to plant flowers, lots of flowers…
… preferably singles rather than doubles, for easily accessible nectar and pollen.
As a bonus, when a new species visits your garden, it’ll feel like a personal triumph.
It’ll feel like a personal triumph.
It’ll feel like a personal triumph.
Planting flowers or sowing seed with an eye to attracting bees and butterflies, really does pay off.
Lavender, valerian, Verbena, and Achillea are just a few examples of what to plant. The Gardeners’ World website provides an extensive list of bee-friendly flowers here.
No list of suitable flowers will be exhaustive but if you generally stick to simple, single flowers, you can’t go far wrong.
The third way to pull insects into your garden is by setting up bee hotels.
You can buy these of course, but they are dead easy to make, so save your money. Simply tie together a handful of short bamboo canes, twigs or the like and secure them to a fence or similar in full or part sun. A small brushwood pile left undisturbed in a quiet corner of your garden also works very well.
You can easily provide homes for all manner of insects – including leaf cutter bees – by drilling holes in timber; as I have done here. Last spring, within a few days of drilling a variety of different sized holes into these old posts, three of them were neatly blocked off by little circles of leaf. So, that was satisfying.
And finally, – and I know I’m pushing my luck here – here’s a brief word in defence of wasps.
Regular readers will remember my battle with wasps one year at the Priory (link here). (I lost the battle, btw).
But despite the number of stings I’ve endured, I have never arranged for the destruction of a wasp nest.
Which can be inconvenient… if not insurmountably so. On moving into our current house, we discovered a large wasp nest in the garden shed. Originally fastened to the ceiling, the enormous paper nest had dropped to the floor – where the wasps continued to build and tend it.
We knew that if we waited, the first few frosts would kill off the wasps and we’d be able remove the nest, and…
study its amazing structure. As the wasps were in the shed before we bought the house, it felt wrong not to let them finish their season in peace. (Wasps don’t reuse nests or nest sites).
As well as being important pollinators, wasps are top insect predators and according to the Natural History Museum, social wasps in the UK capture an estimated 14 million kilograms of insect prey a year. Uh huh, that’s a lot of aphids.
So next time you hear someone say, ‘What is the point of wasps?’ put them straight, would you? And please don’t needlessly destroy wasp and hornet nests.
But do be careful when you mow.
Hmm, I probably haven’t convinced you to go hug a wasp but I hope you agree that encouraging a range of insects and increasing biodiversity in your garden is a benefit to everybody.
And the first time you see a hummingbird hawk-moth darting about your garden, I can assure you, that you’ll be as delighted as I was.
oooOOOooo
As this blog post forms part of a research project for my degree course, I’d be particularly grateful for any comments, insights, likes and shares.
Thanks very much.
The Anxious Gardener 
A very belated comment from me about wasps David. We lived for about 30 years on a large inland block in SE Qld. We had a variety of wasps there including a very aggressive lot that took up residence in the weep holes of our brick walls. I would have left them in peace but they got very cross if we dared to even go past. Unfortunately both areas had already been established as walkways and below one section was a timber deck which needed restaining every 3 months. To do this I needed to get up at daybreak and do the staining before the sun rose, constantly checking the vicinity in case I’d been sprung. I’m sad to say I tried insect spray as the wasps were a risk especially if kids were around. Did no good; they’d return as soon as the spray abated. In desperation I tried pieces of dogbane, thinking the strong smell might deter them. It worked! Took a little while and they kept coming back to check but eventually gave up. Memories.
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They sound pretty scary wasps, Chris, and I understand why you’d want to spray them being so close to the house and your kids. Dogbane sounds great and isn’t anything I’ve heard of. Good tip! Best, David
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Comprehensive post here David, I’ve learnt a few things too (inc in the comments!)
Good luck with the research project – I’ve featured your article in my newsletter, maybe it’ll bring you a few more readers! 😉
https://www.veg-geek.com/newsletters/11052022
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That’s great, Anthony. Thank you!
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Okay. Soooo..,. David: What’s the point of mosquitoes? And slugs? And earwigs?
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Hi Cynthia, well, what’s the point of any creature? We may not like certain creatures – for whatever reason – but they all have a part to play in the broader scheme of things. The point of earwigs? They eat decaying plant matter and feed on other insects, alive and dead. Slugs also eat rotting plant matter (and dog poo!) and are a food source for various reptiles, amphibians and birds. Even mosquitoes are important as a food source for bats and birds, and, as larvae, for fish and frogs. I guess everything has a role to play – some good and some bad. And destroying a creature for the bad they do, often ignores the benefits – and balance – they bring. I’m reminded of the wolves in Yellowstone –
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2018/09/07/wolves-reintroduction-yellowstone-ecosystem/973658002/
David
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I learned so much about attracting insects and protecting wasps from this post! And the photos are spectacular. I’m quite the opposite of a gardener so it was very informative. Brilliant post! Thanks!
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Well, job done! Thanks, Lara. Dx
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Hi David, great article, and I don’t know how you managed to get some of those lovely photos. With regard to wasps, I would just point out that it’s not just pests they kill. I’ve seen them dispatching bees and hoverflies in large numbers – not for food, but just to kill off the competition for nectar! Oh, and if you notice your rose buds are being nibbled to destruction, the cause is likely to be…wasps!
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Fair point, well made re social wasps killing not only the baddies. But, then I guess that is true of most predators? I’d still argue that wasps play a crucial part in an incomprehensibly complex interweaving of species. It must be better to allow them to fulfil that role as predator and pollinator than destroy their nests without good reason. That’s my thinking anyway. Interesting point re rosebuds. I’ve never noticed that! All the best, David
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This is a lovely wasp nest repurposed the next year into a wren nest. Fabulous! /Users/sara/Desktop/WrenNest1.jpeg
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Thanks, Sara but sadly I can’t see the photo. Best, David
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Great tips, David, relayed with wit and whimsy… Had not realized wasps are a peak predator! Kudos to you and your partner for such patience, despite definite inconvenience (*and possible peril ; ) As you say, growing flowers is simple, and so rewarding. Also, who would deliberately add poison to their garden? On thing to add would be that
planting shrubs + trees, in addition to perennials/annuals is another way to really maximize flowers in limited space, as is providing plants that bloom throughout most of the year. Not possible in some places, but in most of England it is possible, esp. if planting natives. If well-chosen they greatly extend the seasonal interest of our gardens, as well as providing pollen, and even berries for Those Who Eat Insects: our feathered friends. Stellar photos, as usual! Thanks again for the info… and a reminder of how we all can make a difference.
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Thank you, Jo. I hoped you’d step in with copious wisdom and you didn’t disappoint! I think it is only as a collective that we can make a difference – on the scale and timescale necessary. That was the point of this blogpost: a small nudge to show how little steps, replicated, can make a difference. What I do find heartening – amongst all the environmental havoc – is just how much more people care, how attitudes have changed and are changing towards our environment. We all, as gardeners, have mastery over amazing ecosystems and it is up to us to nourish and cherish them. Obvs! Dx
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Great post, David. I concur, we have to do everything we can to help maintain and promote insect biodiversity in our yards (and thus out to the world). One point I would add to the above is to plant host plants for larva. Butterflies get a lot of attention by folks planting nectar plants, but it is the larval host plants that really bring them in. I urge people to get to know larva and allow a certain amount of munching in the garden. I used to be bothered by chewed leaves, now I celebrate it! Time to change the tidy garden paradigm!
Good luck with your educational pursuits!
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Thanks, Eliza and good sound advice. I aimed to keep this post as short as poss when I drafted it but realised – more so after reading yours and other comments – that I could’ve had a more extensive list of tips. Part 2? Larval host plants is a great point and really useful for my project – so thank you again. Best, D
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My pleasure~
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I’ve been trying to maintain a small wildlife friendly garden in a Greater London borough since the early 1980s when I saw Chris Baines’ programme on the telly called ‘Blue tits and bumblebees.’
In past times it was rich in hoverflies and lacewings, ladybirds and spiders, froglets, beetles, bees and many kinds of birds. Not anymore. The reduction in all these beasties is obvious and terrible. I’ve been doing all you suggest for pretty much 40 years – so where do we go from here?
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I don’t know where we go from here, Sharon. My thinking behind this small blog post was simply to nudge, just to suggest to readers that even little steps – on a big enough scale – can make a difference. (The idea came from a client saying that she didn’t care if spraying her roses killed any insects! A little piece of me died that day). Of course, gardeners alone can’t shift the world but if we all care and speak out and take whatever action we can, then maybe we can improve biodiversity. Just maybe. I for one have to believe that – or else I would stop gardening now. I’ve always gardened as much for wildlife as I have for plants. All the best, David
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You always manage to balance your writing with just the right amount of photographs which keeps the reader wanting more. Your empathy, passion, incredible knowledge (by the way) and your obvious humour and delight in sharing what you share, comes through again and again.
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Aw, thanks so much. Comments like this always help remind me why I blog!
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I will join you in the minority in praise of wasps. The first time I watched one flying off with a curl grub, kicking and (presumably) screaming,* I knew they were allies. Dangerous allies with their own agendas, but still. They seemed initially to be drawn to my garden by the birdbath, fwiw, so I’ll echo Irene on the importance of water, both at waist and ground level. Wonderful—and courageous!—photos of all those stinging things, Dave. Hope your program is going well. xS
*Curl grubs bring out a vengeful streak in me.
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Well, that’s me and you at least, Stacy, in praise of wasps. A gang of 2!! Whoop whoop. The amount of work for my degree is blocking out the sun at the moment but yeah, it’s going pretty well. I think! I’ll email you, promise, when my feet re-touch the ground. Dx p.s. Blast those curl grubs, whatever they may be
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This was very informative and entertaining – and the photos are gorgeous. I’ve always enjoyed your writing. I’ve gardened in Los Angeles, California, Portland, Oregon, San Antonio, Texas (horrible soil and heat) and now in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. All have different joys and challenges. Best wishes to you.
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Thanks Jeanne, for your kind words. That’s quite some experience you have! All the best, Dave
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I enjoy sharing experiences with other pollinator friendly gardeners as you always learn something. My big yellow Achillea never seems to attract pollinators but perhaps I should check more. You do have to look for them. I just discovered a flower that I am not so fond of actually attracts bumble bees – it is just that I have never looked much at it before. Planting flowers and trees is so important for the pollinators – not as I often hear over here that you should keep honeybees as they are at risk of extinction. Lovely photographs, as usual. Amelia
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Hi Amelia, actually, I’ve just planted a yellow achillea in my garden here. I’m going to be watching it like a hawk for pollinators when it flowers! D
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Ivy left to grow rampant and produce flowers is a great attraction to insect life in the autumn
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Yes! And it can flower really late in autumn too. We have some covering an old fence in our garden (much to the neighbour’s annoyance). D
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…and don’t forget simple water feature and ‘mud’ bath for butterflies and other pollinators.
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Yes indeed, thanks Irene. I initially had half a dozen steps – including providing water and not mowing – but wanted to simplify the list. I remember when I kept bees watching workers lining up along my pond’s edge to drink. Dave
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