I am very active in many groups both on and off Facebook for people doing organic agriculture. Until very recently, I was in a group on Signal for those doing regenerative farming in Puerto Rico. Initially the group seemed very cool. Most of us were either already doing organic farming in Puerto Rico or hoped to.
The longer I stayed in the group, the more I realized my definition of organic and others’ weren’t quite in alignment. Organic doesn’t just mean the absence of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizer. It also means being humane and working with naure to keep the ecosystem in balance. One husband and wife farmer allow their sheep to be out in 21-day rotations. Seemingly harmless, it’s anything but. Because we live in Puerto Rico, we live in the tropics. Rainy season is very pronounced and dry season just means it’s not raining every day.
Unsurprisingly, their sheep have hoof rot and they do nothing to treat it. I asked. We, by contrast, have our goats in pens that have metal roofing. Their communal play area is covered with bamboo. So while it doesn’t protect against rain, it does keep them from getting burned and their hooves from developing fungus.
The thing that got me to leave the group was when the conversation turned to how we deal with so-called pests. I was the only one in the discussion who said we don’t do anything about insects, reptiles and birds. Why should we? All living creatures are beneficial on a farm. Whether we humans know what benefits they provide doesn’t mean they’re not beneficial.
I drew the line and left the group when folks said they pour boiling water on fire ant hills and use flame torches to kill off wasps. I was pretty disgusted. Clearly Paul’s and my definitions of organic and sustainable are different from others’.
When you start an organic farm, the land you cultivate will become a great environment for more than just the plants you intended to grow and animals you intended to raise. You will find a large number of creatures attracted to your real estate, some of whom were there long before you, and others who find your newly cultivated land has been transformed into the perfect home.
So what should you do about all of these animals setting up shop and home on your farm? The shortest, easiest and best answer, almost always, is nothing. Many animals that humans beings—and farmers in particular—are quick to label as “pests” can actually be extremely beneficial to have around. Snakes, lizards, birds, frogs and even insects are actually the best way to preserve the healthy biodiversity of a farmed area and keep each other in check.
Snakes
Many people have a fear of snakes that goes far beyond any concerns about damage they may do to a farm. Which, in fact, is almost non-existent, apart from the small risk that a farm animal may be bitten by a poisonous snake. And unless you live in a lower-lying area, this isn’t an issue in Puerto Rico. It’s too cold for snakes in the mountains. Nevertheless, many people consider snakes to be a general danger and nuisance, and will kill or trap these creatures whenever possible.
However, snakes play a very important role when it comes to keeping other potential pests under control. Snakes eat rodents, who consume both growing crops and stored crops and can also transmit diseases to humans and other mammals. Eliminating snakes and their largely imaginary dangers can leave you with a genuine and serious rodent problem. The presence of snakes means you have a healthy and balanced farm.
Insects
Insects are another group of creatures who have an unfortunate reputation. When many people think of insects on farms, they conjure visions of plagues of locusts devouring everything in sight. But there are many, many beneficial insects who naturally keep damaging bugs to a minimum or do the critical work of pollination. Many farmers have knee-jerk reactions to seeing swarms of bugs around their plants and think pesticides are their only option, without realizing that many of these insects are working for them rather than against them.
Lacewings, lady bugs, ants (including fire ants),tachinid flies, ground beetles, hunting wasps and hoverflies are all insects who prey on the kinds of bugs who can damage crops. Hoverflies are also among the insects who pollinate plants, in addition to bees, butterflies, moths, pollen wasps and flower beetles. Without creatures who pollinate naturally, plants have to be pollinated exhaustingly and sometimes expensively by human hand.
Fire Ants
Because this was one of the insects people go to extreme measures to “deal with,” I thought I’d tout their many benefits.
Fire Ants
1. Natural Pest Control
Fire ants are voracious predators. They feed on a variety of insects, including:
- Caterpillars
- Beetle larvae
- Flea larvae
- Termites
Ticks and other soft-bodied pests
In some contexts, fire ant colonies can reduce populations of other destructive pests, such as boll weevils in cotton or sugarcane borers. On diversified tropical farms, they often keep down populations of leaf-feeding caterpillars and soil-dwelling pests.
2. Soil Aeration
Fire ants build extensive underground tunnel systems, which can help to:
- Loosen compacted soil
- Improve water infiltration
- Increase air exchange around plant roots
While they don’t aerate as extensively as earthworms, their tunneling can still provide localized benefits, particularly in heavy or clay soils.
3. Nutrient Cycling
As predators and scavengers, fire ants break down organic material — both insects and plant matter. Their activities contribute to:
- Returning nutrients to the soil more quickly
- Supporting microbial life in the soil food web
- Helping to maintain a balance in decomposer communities
4. Secondary Benefits to Wildlife
Their presence can indirectly support some birds, reptiles, and other insects that prey on fire ants, integrating into the broader ecological web on a farm. In a healthy, balanced system, fire ants become part of the food chain, not just a nuisance.
Important Caveats
- Fire ants can damage seedlings, especially germinating seeds.
- Their nests can interfere with farm equipment.
- They attack livestock, particularly young or injured animals.
- They can displace native ant species and disrupt ecological balance if left unchecked.
How to deal with these caveats is to plant! When we moved to our farm, it had 8,000 coffee trees. We ripped them out and started all over with our unique collection of fruit trees, palms and bamboo. The more we planted, the fewer ant hills we saw on Mayani Farms.
Wasps
1. Natural Pest Control (Free Farm Labor)
Wasps are voracious hunters. Many species actively prey on pests that damage crops, including:
- Caterpillars
- Aphids (some wasps parasitize them)
- Whiteflies
- Beetle larvae
Parasitic wasps in particular lay their eggs inside or on pest insects. When the larvae hatch, they consume the host, keeping pest populations in check naturally.
This means fewer infestations, reduced need for chemical pesticides, and healthier plants.
2. Pollination (Bonus Benefit)
While not as efficient as bees, many wasp species (especially paper wasps and solitary wasps) visit flowers for nectar, inadvertently helping with pollination. They often pollinate plants with open, shallow flowers such as:
- Tropical fruit blossoms
- Herbs (basil, mint, cilantro)
- Ornamental and native plants
In tropical agroforestry systems, wasps contribute to overall pollinator diversity, which helps ensure good fruit set even when bee populations fluctuate.
3. Supporting Biodiversity & Ecosystem Balance
Wasps help maintain population balance among insects. Without predators like wasps, pests can quickly spiral out of control. By keeping herbivorous insect numbers in check, wasps indirectly support:
- Stronger crop resilience
- Less disease transmission from pests
- Healthier soil food webs (since plants are less stressed)
- They’re part of the natural checks and balances that make regenerative systems thrive.
4. Low Maintenance Allies
Unlike bees, wasps don’t need managed hives, and they:
- Build their own nests
- Require no special equipment or care
- Reproduce quickly in response to pest abundance
If you don’t disturb their nests, many species will quietly do their work in the background.
Farm Takeaway
Wasps are some of the best natural pest control agents you can have. Encouraging their presence by planting nectar-rich flowers, minimizing chemical use, and allowing undisturbed nesting zones can create a self-regulating ecosystem.
On a tropical farm, they’re especially valuable against fast-breeding caterpillars and borers that can devastate fruit trees and vegetables.
Do they sting and can those stings hurt? Yes! When I was teaching at a Waldorf school, we often held classes outside. My students knew where all the wasps nests were. If one of us got too close, one of them would verbally warn us or gently move us away. If children could do this, why is it necessary for an adult to use a flame torch on them?
Birds
Birds are also important natural pollinators and insect eaters. Pollinating birds belong to a small group of birds who eat nectar, including hummingbirds, sunbirds and honey-eaters. In addition, huge numbers of birds eat insects and help to keep potentially pestilential insects and grubs to a minimum.
Other groups of important insectivores that can benefit organic farms include lizards, toads and frogs. These animals are almost exclusively insect-eating, leaving no risk that they may also nibble on nuts, berries or seeds that you don’t want them to concern as certain bird species will. In relatively wet environments or areas with standing water, where mosquitoes thrive, frogs and toads are a great way to keep mosquito populations under control.
And What Organic Farm in Puerto Rico Wouldn’t Be Complete Without the Coquí?
Sometimes, organic farms can even be a great opportunity to provide habitat for threatened species who will benefit your farm in turn. The coquí tree frogs are a symbol of Puerto Rico, but they have also suffered declining numbers due to habitat loss and fungal disease. Organic farms that encourage coquís will benefit from their natural insect control while also helping a beloved species to survive in strong numbers.
They eat many of the insects that are actually hazardous to our crops. So they serve many functions for us on Puerto Rico.
There are other ways in which the connection between organic farms and natural biodiversity is mutually beneficial. Taking advantage of an area’s biodiversity can help a farm to thrive, but organic farms also promote the biodiversity of the area surrounding these farms. Studies have found that organic farming practices result in surrounding environments with greater plant, invertebrate, mammalian, bird, soil and even landscape biodiversity than the areas surrounding conventionally farmed land.
Are Cancer-causing Pesticides Really the Alternative to Living with Something That is Nothing More Than Unsightly?
At Mayani Farms, we never use pesticides, herbicides, Round-Up or chemical fertilizer. What do we do if we find a bug on our fruits and vegetables? We remove it and keep eating. For thousands of years before humans developed these convenient yet toxic methods of farming, people didn’t die from eating food that had once been enjoyed by an insect or pollinated by a bee or a bird. However, people are developing myriad problems because of all the chemicals being introduced to our bodies.
A wonderful, but unexpected result of not using chemicals to control these so-called pests is that myriad birds, reptiles and worms enjoy Mayani Farms as much as we do. They’re here because they are attracted to the biodiversity and beauty provided for them.