Oh no, hoverflies! The insects drive many a gardener to despair. Combatting it is actually quite simple. We reveal which means really help, how to avoid chemical pesticides and what preventive measures you can take against the animals.
Tomato plants keep hoverflies and mosquitoes away
countermeasures
- Plant tomatoes and cucumbers
- Seal gaps in the wall
- Preempt the hoverflies
- Avoid attractive plants
Plant tomatoes and cucumbers
The hoverfly likes to lay its eggs on crops. However, the larvae cannot move well on very hairy varieties such as tomatoes and cucumbers and therefore avoid these plants.
Seal gaps in the wall
Hoverflies like to retreat into small crevices in the wall in winter. If you want to avoid a population in your garden, it is best to seal small gaps as a preventive measure.
Preempt the hoverflies
Hoverflies feed on aphids and other small animals. By killing the pests on your plants with home-made sprays, you take away the hoverfly's food supply. The insects will then look for another place.
Avoid attractive plants
There are many different plants that are particularly attractive to the hoverfly. This includes:
- carrots
- dill
- chervil
- marigolds
- knapweed
- daisies
- asters
- and coneflower
Above all, yellow daisies and early bloomers attract the hoverfly to your garden. Therefore, choose an alternative planting.
Fighting doesn't always make sense
However, you should know that hoverflies are extremely useful for your garden. In agriculture, they are even used as natural pest controllers in greenhouses in winter. Namely on their menu
- aphids
- sawflies
- spider mites
- and scale insects
Although hoverflies look like wasps, they don't have a stinger and are therefore very harmless. Therefore, think carefully about whether you would not rather tolerate a population in your garden and use the above measures to lure the hoverfly into the garden.