Insects Wrongly Branded As Pests

Of all the insects found in and around your home, only around 5 percent should be considered as pests. The rest are actually quite useful to us, providing an important service in pollinating our plants and flowers.

Pollen must be spread from one flower to another in order for plants to produce fruits and vegetables. Many of the honey bees most of us think of when pollinators are mentioned have succumbed to mites and disease, but as long as we don't use too much insecticide, there are enough wild solitary bees to pollinate our gardens.

In addition to the pollinators, there are the carnivores – the insects that eat other insects – the most common of which is the ladybird. We don't like them in our home, but in the outdoors, they are feeding on aphids in our gardens. Unfortunately, it is their overwintering habits that can sometimes be an unwelcome overspill into our homes.

We are also dependent on nature's recyclers, which turn dead plants and animal waste back into nutrients, enhancing our soil and helping our plants to grow. Insects such as flies lay their eggs in dead animals and the maggots that are part of the fly's lifecycle eat everything but hair and bones.

Most insects found in the UK share our outdoors environment without causing interference to our own lives. However, sometimes insect populations can grow to large numbers, causing us to reach for the insect spray.

When we reach this situation, it is important not to achieve overkill – there is a natural balance that will always be achieved in the end. If you do have an insect pest control issue, it is always a good idea to seek professional advice before tackling a problem.

Insects are important to many aspects of nature, both as predator and prey, and play an important part in nature's balance.

Article provided by SDA Pest Control