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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Upcoming Events

Intercropping with Mushrooms

October 14, 2025
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poughkeepsie, NY

Join us for an afternoon of hands-on learning at Pershing Community Farm, led by Urban Agriculture Specialist Yolanda Gonzalez.

2025 Agroforestry Field Day Series -- Agroforestry Implementation and Management

October 23, 2025
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Highland, NY

Interested in incorporating agroforestry practices into your farm? Join us for a series of workshops co-hosted by CCE Ulster, Orange, and Harvest NY with Mastwood Farms, Black Creek Farm and Nursery and Scenic Hudson. 

On October 23, we'll return to Erik Schellenberg's farm, Black Creek Farm and Nursery, for a Fall tour of their agroforestry plantings. Erik will talk about harvesting and managing plantings while we see some seasonal crops and installations of different ages and types. There will be time for questions and discussion as we wrap up the series. covered.

Soil Health 101 for Community Gardens -- A Bilingual Workshop

October 24, 2025
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Staten Island, NY

Join Urban Agriculture Specialists, Karen Guzman and Yolanda Gonzalez, as they discuss the importance of soil health and testing your soil as you prepare for the incoming growing season. They will go into strategies for best practices when it comes to soil health management and highlight the current soil testing program through NYSDAM and CCE. This workshop will be in both Spanish and English.

Announcements

New Produce Auctions in NYS!

With the opening of the new Augusta Produce Auction on August 19th, New York State now has 11 produce auctions! See the new map of produce auction locations across the state and contact information.

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.