04 December 2021

World Wildlife Day: Garden ‘pests’ that are actually great for the environment

04 December 2021

When it comes to the animal kingdom, it’s fair to say there are some species which pull at our heart strings more than others – wildlife, insects and plants we love to see and want to protect.

But the ‘nuisance pests’ we don’t like to spot in our gardens, because we think they are detrimental to our flowers and shrubs, also play an important role in the ecosystem.

“A big part of restoring nature involves changing the narrative. There are so many plants, animals, insects, and fungi that are mislabelled as pests, when actually they play crucial roles in ecosystems and food chains,” says Rob Stoneman, director of landscape recovery at The Wildlife Trusts.

A wildlife garden is great for attracting plants with stacked logs for beetles (Alamy/PA)

“Beetles often get given a bad reputation, despite the fact they’re brilliant pollinators, help to recycle nutrients, and are important food for other animals like hedgehogs and birds,” explains Stoneman.

Indeed, what we perceive as some of the worst culprits such as greenfly (aka aphids),  slugs and cutworms  (moth caterpillars) are nutriments to a wealth of garden wildlife – and we need to be careful how we curb them.

(RHS/PA)

Hayley Jones, entomologist at the RHS, says: “Slugs are often portrayed as a garden pest, thought to indiscriminately devour a wide range of plants. However, there are more than 40 species of slug in the UK and only nine of these eat enough live plant material to cause any hassle in the garden.

“Most eat rotting plant matter, algae and fungi, which is important for nutrient recycling. What’s more, as a source of food for birds, frogs, predatory beetles and many other animals they also have an important place in the food web,” adds Jones.

Tellingly, the RHS have four research projects underway concerning slugs, one of which is intended to map the slug population of UK gardens for first time since the 1940s. “The findings will be made available in 2022,” says Jones.

Aphids (green fly) and white fly on a prickly sow-thistle (Alamy/PA)

But many gardeners will still want to protect their manicured borders and keep bugs at bay.

“If you really want to get to get rid of a ‘pest infestation’, it’s so important to avoid using any sort of chemicals,” says Stoneman. “These are poisons that ruin soils and kill beneficial pollinators and natural pest-predators. They make the problem worse. It’s so much better to use natural ways to control insect infestations, such as organic deterrents, or a spray of hot soapy water.

Stoneman, urges gardeners to think differently though, and see ‘pests’ as a “natural part of our world and your garden”.

Rose chafer beetle feeding on wild angelica (Alamy/PA)

“Aphids are food to ladybirds; slugs to frogs and toads; and snails for song-thrushes,” he says.

“Ultimately, natural predation is the best way of keeping your garden healthy. So learn to live with nature and encourage as much of it into your garden as possible.”

To make nature feel welcome, Stoneman suggests: “A dead wood pile, a water feature and lots of structure in your planting will help wildlife to thrive.”

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