When you notice insects approaching your cannabis plants, what is your first reaction? You will probably be annoyed, if not downright worried: it is normal to think that insects can damage your crop. You should know, however, that some species of “carnivorous” insects are not only harmless to marijuana, but actually help protect it from harmful pests and other organisms, such as caterpillars and aphids, that feed on leaves.

Let's now see which insects can prove to be valuable allies for your cannabis cultivation:

The ladybug is the symbol of organic farming par excellence, and there's a reason: this cute little insect is fond of aphids, small insects that are highly invasive and damage crops. A single ladybug can eat over five hundred aphids a day! This makes it a precious ally for those, like cannabis growers, who cannot afford to use invasive pesticides if they don't want to damage their product. If you see a ladybug on your cannabis plants, don't disturb it, on the contrary, let it "work"!

Predatory mites are such good friends of farmers that they will do anything to have them by their side! You may be surprised, but you can buy these live insects in stores and use them as a real pesticide. Predatory mites are small insects that feed almost exclusively on red spider mites. These are devastating for crops, both indoors and outdoors. If you find red spider mites near your cannabis, hurry up and get yourself some of these precious mites.

Reduvids, especially those of the Orius species, are allies of cannabis growers because they hunt various harmful species. To attract them, it is possible to grow, alongside marijuana, other plants such as alfalfa, daisy, dandelion, fennel, dill and marigold.

Lacewings are, to the eye, a cross between flies and mosquitoes. Their color is usually between yellow and green, but there are also brown ones; their wings are rounded. These animals, like the more well-known ladybug, are fond of aphids: their larvae also grow by feeding on these harmful insects! Having lacewings in the environment in which you grow cannabis is a real blessing. Lacewings, especially in the larval stage, are widely used in greenhouses: each larva eats up to fifty aphids a day and is harmless to our plants.

This beautiful and creepy insect is a tireless predator of harmful insects such as caterpillars, aphids and whiteflies, so you may want to consider introducing it to your cannabis crop. If you can’t find mantises to buy, you may want to consider attracting them to your outdoor crop with companion plants such as lavender, rosemary and basil.

Now that you know which insects are your allies, you have an additional tool to grow cannabis organically: you can try to attract these "allies" to your garden by growing plants that their prey are fond of, or by purchasing eggs and larvae in specialized shops. As you know, organic cultivation is absolutely the healthiest and allows you, not inconsiderable, to enjoy truly genuine and tasty cannabis.