57 Ways - 12. Conserve Beneficial Insects

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57 Ways To Protect Your Home Environment (and Yourself)

Caring for the Home Landscape

1. Aim for a healthy lawn rather than a perfect lawn
2. Cut the grass without gas
3. Prevent insect, disease, and weed problems in the garden
4. Identify fruits and vegetables that need fewer pesticides
5. Select native trees and shrubs that will thrive in your yard
6. Keep your tress healthy and safe
7. Plant “wild” in your backyard
8. Attract birds and butterflies to your backyard

Using Alternatives to Traditional Pesticides & Fertilizers - Where Practical

9. Scout for pests on the landscape
10. Consider microbial insecticides
11. Consider botanical insecticides & insecticidal soaps
12. Conserve beneficial insects
13. Monitor & control insects with traps
14. Use pest barriers in your garden
15. Solarize soil
16. Consider the potential of natural fertilizers

Using Chemicals on the Landscape - If Necessary

17. Know what to ask a lawn-care company and arborist
18. Understand pesticide toxicity
19. Read the pesticide label
20. Apply pesticides accurately and safely
21. Apply fertilizers accurately and safely

Storing & Disposing of Hazardous Chemicals

22. Store hazardous chemicals safely
23. Dispose of pesticides safely
24. Dispose of auto products safely
25. Dispose of paints and solvents safely
26. Dispose of adhesives, areosols, household cleaners & other hazardous waste safely

Managing Yard, Food & Other Household Waste

27. Reduce household waste
28. Recycle paper, glass, & aluminum
29. Reuse and respond
30. Recycle grass clippings
31. Create a compost pile
32. Use yard waste as mulch
33. Dispose of tree residues

Protecting Your Drinking Water

34. Know when & how to test your water
35. Test your water for coliform bacteria & nitrate 36. Test your water for pesticides - if necessary
37. Know the signs of contaminants in drinking water
38. Select effective water-treatment methods
39. Prevent contamination from septic systems
40. Know the pros & cons of bottled water

Protecting the Indoor Environment

41. Prevent contamination by lead
42. Test your home for radon
43. Reduce radon levels
44. Control dust, dust mites & other allergens
45. Reduce pollution from combustion equipment
46. Prevent contamination by formaldehyde and asbestos
47. Recognize tht it's not always necessary to control indoor insects
48. Select the right household pesticide
49. Control household pests with less toxic alternatives
50. Select household cleaners wisely

Conserving Energy & Water

51. Design new homes for energy effciency
52. Save energy in heating & cooling
53. Insulate & seal your home
54. Choose energy-efficient appliances
55. Save money & energy with compact fluorescent light bulbs
56. Use plants & other landscape tools to conserve energy
57. Conserve water in & around the home

12. Conserve Beneficial Insects
	Some bugs are on the side of homeowners. They are the natural enemies of damaging insects and are known as beneficial insects. Releasing beneficial insects into your yard or garden may have some benefit, but your best bet is to conserve the beneficials already there. Keeping beneficial insects alive may help keep pest problems at an acceptable level so you can reduce insecticide use. To conserve beneficial insects, you first need to know how to identify them. Presented here are some common beneficial insects.
	Pictured are green lacewings eating aphids.
	Pictured is a praying mantis.
	Pictured are wasp eggs on tobacco hornworm.
	Pictured is a syrphid fly.
	An important way to conserve beneficials is to treat yards and gardens with insecticides only when pest populations are great enough to cause significant damage. Many insecticides are nonspecific, which means they kill all insects, including the ones you want to keep. In addition, use the most accurate application methods you can.
	Although most insecticides are not selective enough to kill only the particular insect you have targeted, shop carefully to find one that is more specifically aimed at your pest problem. Insecticides that must be applied directly to the insect or that break down quickly on treated surfaces kill fewer beneficial insects.
	Beneficial insects are often slow to colonize a yard. The best way to make sure they are nearby is to maintain their natural habitats. You can do this by maintaining a diversity of plantings.
	Adults of some beneficial insects need to feed on pollen and nectar. Plants with very small flowers and some flowering weeds, such as some clovers and Queen Anne’s lace, in and around the yard may help preserve a diversity of insect life. In addition, artificial food supplements that contain yeast, whey proteins, and sugars can attract or increase the numbers of beneficial insects.
	Keep in mind that maintaining habitats and providing artificial food can attract pests as well as beneficial insects. Also, although it is important to bring pest populations below damaging levels, it is not necessary to completely eradicate undesirable insects. In fact, leaving some pests alive will help maintain the populations of beneficial insects.
	In many cases, conserving beneficial insects will provide natural control of insect pests. But natural control does have its limitations. Predators and parasites work slowly. It may take weeks or even seasons for beneficial insect populations to build up. Also, you are always left with at least a few undesirable insects in the yard.