Beetle banks is a concept from sustainable agriculture that we can modify for our home gardens. A beetle bank is a raised strip of land planted in grasses where beetles can shelter but still travel out into the surrounding land to perform their services. Lets create a home for beetles in our gardens.
Many native beetles are beneficial insects. They feed on weed seeds and are predators of the more pesty insects. Beetles are also beautiful and very cool insects. I like to think of them as little tanks traveling my garden and protecting it. The exception is emerald ash borer and the other invasive beetles that have been introduced here and are disturbing natures balance.
Beetles need shelter for winter hibernation, egg laying, and pupation. They need a place that is not disturbed and never sprayed with pesticides. A beetle bank is meant to provide these services when the surrounding landscape is too disturbed to provide them. Our lawns, fancy hedges, and vegetable gardens are disturbed landscapes that do not provide the habitat beetles need.
The beetle bank should be placed in a central area where there are no barriers to beetle travel such as sidewalks, roads, and buildings. Mound the soil up in the bank to be about a foot higher then the surrounding area and plant it with native grasses. The plants should be at least 75% clump forming grass but also add wildflowers and the occasional rotting log. Grasses like Virginia wild rye, little bluestem, and prairie dropseed are ideal.
Incorporating an area for beetles into the landscape may be tricky without creating an eyesore. The bank does not need to be straight, it can curve to follow the edge of a bed and blend with the landscape. Many existing garden spaces could become beetle banks with the addition of more grasses. Examine the landscape for opportunities to incorporate more beetle habitat. Even a small amount of habitat will provide benefit to the garden and the beetles.
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