Mallow, yarrow and ox eye daisy are also highly valuable flowers for predatory insects, while lotus and viper's bugloss, due to their deeper tubes, are less helpful. With buckwheat, which has open flowers and is a cultivated crop, predator insects lived an average of 8.6 times longer than on water alone. There are differences among flowers as well.
The lifespans of the remaining 8 species, including a predatory mite, were not significantly longer. Of the 17 predatory insect species tested with more than one species of flowers, nine-including lacewings, two-spot ladybugs and minute pirate bugs-lived significantly longer with flowers. Some predators manage to lay eggs with access to flowers alone. Still, not all predatory insects and flowers are the same. Specifically, the researchers found that across all predatory insects, females survive 2.2 times longer with access to flowers, and males 1.7 times longer, compared to insects that only have access to water, but no flowers. Up to 8 times longer lives on the best flowersįood from flowers boosts energy for predators. Examples of open and beneficial flowers are wild carrot, ox eye daisy, dill and dandelion. The researchers underscore that in order for predatory insects to access flower nectar, easily accessible open flowers need to be planted, as predatory insects aren’t equipped with the long feeding tubes that bees have. On top of the that, the presence of more flowers imroves pollination and biodiversity, as they attract more insects and pollinators into fields." "This is good news for the green transition, as effective pest control can help reduce the use of agricultural pesticides. By planting a wide variety of flowers that bloom both early and late in the season, one can ensure for an optimal effect that ensures the survival of predators throughout the growing season," says Associate Professor Lene Sigsgaard of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences. And, the plants in margins and strips provide many other types of insects for to prey on as well. Pollen and nectar are supplements that beneficial insects can survive on when pests aren’t around.
"By planting flowering margins and strips alongside fields, one can ensure an ever-abundant supply of predatory insects such as hoverflies, lacewings, minute pirate bugs, phytoseiid mites and two-spot ladybugs.
Thus, farmers can promote a consistent production of natural enemies to defeat pests by incorporating flowering strips and flowering margins in their fields: But in a systematic review conducted at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, researchers collected, compared and analyzed data from studies around the world to conclude that most predators benefit greatly from flowers, and can even survive for extended periods of time on nectar and pollen alone.
Until now, it was believed that predatory insects needed prey to survive. Predatory insects are skilled pest controllers whose hunting reduces the need for agricultural pesticides. Thus, flowers don’t just benefit insects, they help farmers farm sustainably. Predatory insects have been shown to live longer when they have access to nectar and pollen, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen.
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