Insectiaries are areas staffed with those types of plants which will attract beneficial insects.
Components
Insectiaries must provide food, water, shelter and space to grow new bugs. These are provided in these forms:
- Plant matter for direct forage
- Plant matter for pest's forage, which in turn provides forage for beneficial insects (EG: a Trap Crop of Dill Weed, which attracts aphids, which attracts ladybugs and their voracious larvae)
- Plant or ground environments for new generations of beneficial insects
- Shallow water sources, frequently with pebbles to provide perches
Commonly seen in
- Biodynamics
- Wineries
- Organic agriculture & gardens