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Eliminating pests the Earth-friendly way

Spring has arrived, and with that, come the insects and other critters. You may see insects, spiders and other bugs as pests, but did you know that many of these benefit us? Take the honey bee for example. Yes, they sting, but did you know that our food supply could diminish without them? It’s true! Honey bees are responsible for pollinating one-third of all the food we eat. Honey bees are only one example of a beneficial organism. This month, the Indiana Department of Education is encouraging Hoosiers to learn more about these helpful creatures. That is why the Learn Green, Live Green focus for May is titled “Nature’s Partners.”

What is a beneficial organism?
Beneficial organisms, also referred to as “beneficials” and “beneficial insects,” are insects and other critters that help us. They include organisms that pollinate crops, produce useful products or kill harmful organisms that damage crops, sting, bite or spread disease. These organisms act as nature’s own pest control. Predators, parasites and pollinators are the most important beneficial organisms. A few well-known examples of beneficial insects include the honey bee, ladybug, praying mantis and ground beetle.

How do they help the environment?
The most common way to get rid of pests today is by using pesticides. Pesticides are any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest. Pesticides are useful to society because they can kill potential disease-causing organisms and control insects, weeds and other pests. By their very nature, though, most pesticides create some risk of harm. This harm can be to humans, animals or the environment because pesticides are designed to kill or otherwise adversely affect living organisms. Also, pesticides not only kill the “bad bugs,” they rub out the “good bugs,” too. Beneficial organisms, as well as bio-based pesticides, or biopesticides, are great alternatives to get rid of unwanted pests, and they pose less risk than pesticides.

Beneficial organisms at home/in the classroom
You can use beneficial organisms at home. When planting your garden this spring, do a little more research and see if beneficial organisms will work to help keep your plants healthy and your flowers bright. Don’t forget, our tips and fun facts links are always a great way to start learning more right now. Also, our school projects page can help teachers and students learn more about beneficial organisms while in the classroom.

Keep up the “green” work
Although this month’s focus is Nature’s Partners, we still encourage Hoosiers to keep up with all the other Learn Green, Live Green initiatives such as recycling, reducing waste, using renewable resources and choosing more environmentally-friendly transportation. For more information on our past initiatives, click through the different months on each of the tabs or go to our Recycle Bin. Don’t forget to check out what schools across the state are doing to “go green” by clicking on the Spotlights page.