Forum Discussion

Contributor 3

23 days ago

Solved

Good Bugs vs. Bad Bugs: Not Every Insect in Your Landscape Is the Enemy

When most people see insects in their yard, their first thought is often, "How do I get rid of them?" But a healthy landscape depends on a balance of both plants and beneficial insects. Good Bug...

arborist

landscaping

lawn care

PestFreeCanada
23 days ago
I have been in pest control for over 15 years and find this to be one of the hardest topics to bring up to a client. That there are good bugs! Predatory bugs, ones that feed on decay, ones that feed on non-native and invasive plants. Some people just want all the bugs gone.
A few years ago, I started to change the narrative a little. I refer to insects that are non-beneficial as "pests", and ones that are beneficial to your ecosystem as "friends, good bugs, helpers, workers". Anything to remove the negative connotation of them being something we need to completely rid them of. Sure, we don't want them in your home, but that is why treating the perimeter structure is important as well as exclusion to keep them out, not a broadcast spray across your whole garden.

PestFreeCanada

Contributor 5

23 days ago

I have been in pest control for over 15 years and find this to be one of the hardest topics to bring up to a client. That there are good bugs! Predatory bugs, ones that feed on decay, ones that feed on non-native and invasive plants. Some people just want all the bugs gone.

A few years ago, I started to change the narrative a little. I refer to insects that are non-beneficial as "pests", and ones that are beneficial to your ecosystem as "friends, good bugs, helpers, workers". Anything to remove the negative connotation of them being something we need to completely rid them of. Sure, we don't want them in your home, but that is why treating the perimeter structure is important as well as exclusion to keep them out, not a broadcast spray across your whole garden.

Sassenachlands

Contributor 3

23 days ago

Finding the Balance is the tricky part. We are in Georgia and there are a lot of different Bugs that are harmful to plants and people. I have one customer who doesn't want any bugs (she moved from the city to the country). So I am working with her on "selective planting" first. They have problems with carpenter bees, fleas and ants around the house. I we are putting in Peppermint, lemon grass and Thyme. Its a start. We will work up to good bugs. :-)