When it comes to protecting your garden and your family from insects, the first thing you should know is that plants have natural enemies that may end up being beneficial to your garden or backyard. Insects are arthropods that feed on other living organisms, and they often enjoy munching on plants or on other insects that may live in your Florida garden; some of them may become a nuisance or a potential health problem, but others may be beneficial for your plant species.
Most of the insects that become troublesome pests are not native species; they are introduced by other means, usually by human activities. The University of Florida has various research programs dedicated to studying the behaviors and life patterns of non-indigenous insects so that they can be controlled with biological measures instead of rushing to apply pesticides.
Good Bugs in Florida
One of the first steps of pest control is prevention; in your garden and backyard, prevention often starts with the right choice of species. If you want to reduce your risks of attracting non-indigenous pests, you should ask your landscaping company to recommend only plant species that are native to Southwest Florida.
If you plant native Florida species, your garden will naturally attract certain insects that you should welcome because they are natural enemies of troublesome pests. Some of these insects can even be kind of cute, and they include lady beetles, flower flies, garden ants, lacewings, and parasitic wasps. If the members of your landscaping crew recognize these bugs, they will be happy to know that your garden is protected and will thrive organically.
A few non-native species such as house geckos are good for pest control. Geckos are small, exotic herpetofauna from Asia that will go after the insects inside your house; there is no reason to worry you if you see them climbing your walls. In general, all lizards you see in your yard will feed on insects.
Dangerous Mosquitoes
The Florida Everglades are extensive breeding grounds for mosquitoes. While these pesky flying insects may serve a biological purpose, pest control researchers often recommend swift termination of all mosquito species spotted in the home or garden.
One of the most dangerous mosquito species in history is Aedes aegypti, which transmits diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and the Zika virus. Since it is not easy to recognize Aedes aegypti with the naked eye, your best bet is to terminate all mosquitoes with extreme prejudice.
If you find mosquitoes inside your house, don’t hesitate to take action. If you spot them in your yard and you live in Charlotte, Collier or Lee County, call R&R Sprinkler and Landscape before the exterminator sprays your lawn or plants. In general, you want to avoid water pooling in your garden or yard since puddles of fresh water encourage mosquitoes to deposit their eggs and breed, so a good landscaper can take care of the problem.
Contact us:
R & R Sprinkler & Landscape
931 SE 11th Avenue
Cape Coral, FL 33990
(239) 772-2607
