Like insects, animals in your garden can either be a source of concern or a welcome addition. There are several animals that you want to visit your garden regularly or make it their home because of the benefits they provide, these are known as beneficial animals. It is important for every gardener to differentiate between animal pests and beneficial animals so that they can prevent and control damage by pests to their garden and provide for others.
There are several ways you can attract and provide for beneficial animals in your garden and ways to garden with minimal habitat disturbance. This guide will help you determine which animals are beneficial to your garden as well as understand the benefits each animal provides.
What makes an animal a beneficial animal?
Beneficial animals are those that provide some sort of benefit to your garden most often in the form of preying on animal and insect pests that harm your plants and harvest.
Which animals are beneficial?
Animals that are beneficial include specific species of birds, bats, snakes, toads, foxes, weasels and other large predators.
Types of benefits animals provide.
Lizards, toads and snakes prey on insect and rodent populations keeping the number of them in your garden to a minimum and an easily controllable level. The diet of a toad mainly consists of slugs and other small insects so they play a crucial role in keeping the numbers of insect pests down. Snakes not only prey on insects but also mice and smaller mammals that feast on your harvest, sometimes their very presence is enough to scare away these pests.
Other beneficial animals such as birds and bats are just as good at keeping insect pests to a minimum. Bats consume extremely high numbers of insects every night which is not only good for controlling insect pests in your gardens but insects that are harmful to humans as well. Bats are the main predators of mosquitoes and help keep mosquito levels under control. Chickadees are the main predators of aphid eggs and larvae which are one of the most common insect pests in gardens.
How to attract and provide for beneficial animals
Before you begin working in your garden check for signs of smaller animals to make sure you do not disturb habitats they already have in place. Include bird and bat houses in and around your garden. birds and bats require a source of water and prefer to place their nest close to them so make sure you place the bird houses near a bird bath or another body of water.
Small reptiles like cool, shaded areas near the ground and close to a body of water. Place groupings of rocks around your garden, overturned pots and other items which provide crevices for toads and snakes to hide in.
Make your garden attractive to beneficial animals and you will find that your job gardening will be a little bit easier.
