Insectary plants near fruiting crops increase pollinator and predator visitation.
A good hunch · suboptimal if ignored → advise
How it works
The flowers supply nectar and pollen that adult predators and parasitoids feed on, so a patch of them near a fruiting crop keeps those beneficial insects fed and close by to work the crop. The effect is real but not guaranteed — an insectary patch does not always suppress pests.
The evidence
Evidence: confirmed against 1 source in the research-based literature.
the source
UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM), 'Insectary Plants', ipm.ucanr.edu/environmental-protection-and-pesticide-stewardship/insectary-plants (read 2026-07-11): 'Insectary plants are those grown to attract, feed, and shelter insect parasites (parasitoids) and predators to enhance biological pest control. Insectary plants provide nectar and pollen, which the adults of many natural enemy species need to consume.' (UC IPM also notes 'insectary plants may not always help' suppress pests — consistent with the 'reasonably supported' framing.)
Change history
Every change to this rule is one commit. This is what the project's version history records — the date and the reason — not a summary of it.
- insectary plants — fill the stub mechanism from its own source
- 's trigger gains its spatial term - the claim and the trigger agree
- drop a letter grade from an evidence pointer (D-083, O66)
- promote to verified — insectary plants increase natural-enemy visitation
- cite UC IPM for insectary plants (rule confirmed)
Cite this page
Milpa Gardens. "Insectary plants near fruiting crops increase pollinator and predator visitation." Evidence grade: A good hunch. https://milpa.garden/rules/insectary-plants-near-fruiting-crops-increase-pollinator/
A garden-planning corpus: every claim states its evidence grade and links its sources on the page. Cite it with the grade, and add the date you read it.