Bugs get a bad rap. In fact, their poor reputation has created an entire industry—lawn pesticides, insect sprays, poisons, fly swatters, bug zappers, repellents, even specialized clothing. While it’s true there are some undesirable insects in Northeast Ohio, there are far more that are essential, beneficial, and routinely eliminated without a second thought. Top pollinators include bees, butterlies, and beetles. Honeybees, although great pollinators, are not native bees and aren’t the focus of this discussion.
There are literally thousands of species of native bees and wasps in Ohio, and some insects that you may think of as bees are actually wasps. Tricky, I know. Generally, bees are fuzzy and wasps are smooth. For example, a yellow jacket is a type of wasp, as is a hornet. A bumblebee, with its fuzzy, pollen collecting body is a bee. Both bees and wasps are pollinators and critical to the environment. There are other pollinator insects as well, including beetles, lacewings, butterflies and more. Native insects are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, pesticide use, and disease. Our obsession with lawns is destroying the natural environment. Why should we care? The reduction in insect populations threatens food security. About 75% of all crop species and many plants depend on insect pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, and beetles, to facilitate the production of fruits and seeds. An army of insects, mostly so tiny we don't see them, work for us in our gardens every day, if we don't kill them.
Here on our farm, we don’t use chemicals on our food; we depend on native pollinators, and the occasional honeybee, to pollinate our fruits and vegetables. As a result, we’ve developed a strong appreciation for insects. We do sometimes have rogue bugs that we don’t want or need, and our options for eliminating them include using insects that eat unwanted bugs or natural deterrents. There are native wasps, ladybugs, praying mantis, and other insects that will help reduce the bad bugs. Life in the garden can be violent for the insects. Insects of all kinds are also food for birds and small animals, supporting a diverse environment all around. We like to think of insects as our neighbors and helpers, not pests to be rid of. A single native bee can visit thousands of flowers in a day—an invisible workforce member doing more for your garden in hours than most chemicals ever could.
Growing your own garden will eventually force you to make a choice – use chemicals and accept that you’re consuming the remnants and the risks or let nature work for you and accept that insects are a natural, needed part of our world. I’ve been asked whether I’d rather consume chemicals or bugs, and my answer is that I’m in for the bugs. And if a plant is covered in something an insect won’t eat or will harm them, I don’t eat it either.
As you begin planning your lawn care for the summer, it’s worth remembering that those chemicals affect far more than just grass. They impact your kids, your pets, and the environment around you. Before you take that shopping trip to the garden center, I encourage you to take time to learn more about the role of insect pollinators in your lawn and garden and let them work for you as well!
