Extension fact sheet shows how beneficial insects deter pests

ORONO – Who can be blamed for going after insect pests that damage our gardens and home landscapes? Getting the Japanese beetles and aphids off the roses, the corn borers out of the corn or the loopers out of the cabbage rows is an act of self-defense. Be aware, however, we have more allies than enemies in the insect world, according to a new fact sheet from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

In fact, “of all the insect species, more than 97 percent of those usually seen in the home landscape are either beneficial or innocent bystanders,” say the authors of the fact sheet titled, “Beneficial Insects and Spiders in Your Maine Backyard.”

Authors of the new publication are Colin Stewart, integrated pest management specialist, and Nancy Coverstone, Extension educator in Androscoggin and Sagadahoc counties.

They said many of the beetles, spiders, flies and other critters we encounter in our gardens prey on their plant-eating cousins. Encouraging beneficial insects with the right gardening techniques and using pest resistant plant varieties can go a long way toward eliminating or reducing the need for pesticides. The new fact sheet offers advice on how insects are beneficial. It is part of the Habitats series of Extension publications that provides information about encouraging wildlife in residential landscapes.

The fact sheets are available at county Cooperative Extension offices. Call (800) 287-0274 for the location of Cooperative Extension offices in Maine. The new fact sheet is also online at www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/7150.htm.