How to Create Habitat for Beneficial Insects

Yolanda Gonzalez, Urban Agriculture Specialist
Harvest New York

June 13, 2023
How to Create Habitat for Beneficial Insects

The How to Create Habitat for Beneficial Insects factsheet will teach you what attracts and keeps beneficial insects on your urban farm or garden.

Beneficial insects include a diverse collection of pollinators — not just honey bees — as well as flies, wasps, beetles, bugs and other insects that kill pests. While not technically insects, spiders and predatory mites also serve as natural enemies of pests. This factsheet was created by Amara Dunn, NYS IPM Program, with support from CCE Harvest NY.

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La hoja informativa Cómo crear un hábitat para los insectos benéficos le enseñará lo que atrae y mantiene a los insectos benéficos en su granja o jardín urbano.



How to Create Habitat for Beneficial Insects (pdf; 545KB)

Cómo crear un hábitat para los insectos benéficos (pdf; 524KB)


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November 1, 2025
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
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New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series

Cornell Cooperative Extension has partnered with dozens of urban farms across New York State to demonstrate and evaluate sustainable pest management strategies. Together with farmers, we found success using control methods that prevent or reduce crop losses through exclusion strategies, crop timing, host resistance, the introduction of beneficial organisms, and more. Regardless of management strategy used, common requirements for success include a knowledge of the pest and disease complex, preventative deployment and commitment to the process. The New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series includes case studies highlighting pest management techniques that New York urban farms have found valuable.