Many backyard farmers in Mzansi are struggling with insect control on their crops, leading to them cutting them all out, which hampers operations and shrinking profits.
According to experts and farmers, however, some of the tiny crawlers, squiggles, and movers in your garden are good. Some creep in and out of your soil and some on your crop. But with anything good, there’s also bad lurking nearby.
Insects beneficial for both crops and soil
“Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators help with the fertilisation of plants, leading to better fruit and seed production,” says Johannesburg crop farmer Philani Mzila.
He says predatory insects are ladybugs, praying mantises, lacewings, and certain wasps that feed on pests, keeping their populations in check, and reducing the need for chemical pesticides.
“In terms of the decomposers, your insects like earthworms and dung beetles play a vital role in breaking down organic matter, improving soil structure, and nutrient recycling,” he adds.
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Harmful insects
Mzila lists harmful insects to both crops and soil as caterpillars, thrips, beetles, and aphids. Soil degraders he has come across are root-feeding nematodes and certain larvae, which can directly damage plant roots and disrupt the soil structure, affecting nutrient uptake and water retention, he explains.
What to do when farmers come across good insects
“Encourage and preserve the habitats of beneficial insects by avoiding the use of broad-spectrum pesticides, which can harm both good and bad insects,” Mzila says.
To make sure these good creepers stay, Mzila advises that farmers need to implement practices that attract beneficial insects, such as planting diverse flowering plants to support pollinators or providing suitable habitats like hedgerows and cover crops to attract natural predators.
Dealing with the bad
It’s important to keep bad insects away from your soil and crop to avoid further damage. Mzila suggests employing integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that focus on sustainable pest control methods, such as using targeted pesticides only when necessary, employing physical barriers, and introducing natural predators.
“Regularly monitor crops to detect pest outbreaks early and take appropriate actions to prevent extensive damage,” he recommends.
Early prevention is best
Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal-based crop farmer Donovan Gumede, says early prevention is best and the very first thing you need to do is keep your garden clean from bushes so that pests or unwanted insects don’t flock to it.
“Dung beetles are good for the soil and crop because they collect waste. Crickets and aphids are also very good for the soil.
“Ladybugs and earthworms are good for the crops. If you have earthworms in your soil then you just know that you have good soil. The likes of assassin bugs and damsel bugs are good also,” he says.
Gumede explains that collecting and storing the good insects is the way to go and to do this you need to collect them and place them in another garden far from your current garden so that you can use them whenever you want.
“When you come across bad insects, you should start a pest control system and buy chemicals. If you do use them, spray them on a certain day. But that is why you should not have bushes around because you will spray today and then you will wake up in the morning, the insects are back.
“Cutworms are the worst because when they crawl on your plant and leave marks and holes and no one wants to buy spinach like that,” he says.
Harmony between farmers and insects
Minenhle Ngubane from Ashburton, KwaZulu-Natal says pollinators are probably the only insects that strike a balance in terms of having impacts on both the soil & plants. For instance, bees and moths are crucial for pollination to take place.
“Other insects would be some of the bugs that we usually refer to as ‘beneficial bugs’ which feed on pests that feed on plants. For example, a soldier beetle feeds on aphids and plays a role as a pollinator as well.
“I do not know any insects that are bad for the soil but there are plenty that are harmful to plants from different family groups,” he explains.
However, just like Gumede, he believes pest management is good in keeping evil crawlers off your crop and soil and having a pest management plan is important.
“They should have a pest management plan that is implemented to keep insect pests at bay before infestation passes the threshold,” he says.
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