Melissa Greenhouse Tips

09/25/2026

09/25/2026

What actually happens after you release beneficial insects in your houseplants? 🪴 After releasing tens of thousands of predatory mites and green lacewings to help control spider mites and mealybugs, I’ve gotten SO many questions. Do they crawl around your house? Do they bite? What happens when the pests are gone? Can you just use ladybugs? And how do you know which beneficial insects to buy?

I’m using beneficial insects from DMV Beneficials⁠, and they offer free consultations to help identify your pest and choose the right biological pest control for your plants.

And if you decide to try them, code MELISSA10 gets you 10% off every order, not just your first. 💚

09/24/2026

Beneficial insects are officially going to work on my houseplant pests. 🪴🐛 I’m currently dealing with spider mites and mealybugs, so instead of spending the next several weeks spraying and re-spraying, I’m using predatory mites and green lacewings as biological pest control.

These beneficial insects came from DMV Beneficials⁠, and now the real test is whether they can get these pest populations under control with less work from me.

If you want to try beneficial insects for your own plants, MELISSA10 gets you 10% off every order from DMV Beneficials, not just your first one.

09/23/2026

Beneficial insects can be an incredibly effective way to manage houseplant pests, but how you use them matters. 🪴 From knowing when to stop sprays and systemics to reducing an active pest population first, choosing the right beneficial insect, and releasing them correctly, a little preparation can help set your beneficials up for success.

I’m using DMV Beneficials for my beneficial insects, and they offer free consultations if you need help figuring out which beneficials are right for your plants and pests.

Use code MELISSA10 for 10% off every order, not just your first one.

09/22/2026

Where you buy beneficial insects matters just as much as choosing the right beneficial for the right houseplant pest. 🪴 These are living organisms, so sourcing, shipping, and arriving alive and healthy all matter.

I chose to work with DMV Beneficials because of their focus on education, free consultations, local community orders for smaller quantities, and overnight shipping directly from the insectary. They also guarantee live arrival.

And full transparency: I reached out to DMV because they were the company I wanted to work with. If you decide to try beneficial insects for your houseplants, use code MELISSA10 for 10% off EVERY purchase, not just your first order.

09/21/2026

Why would you choose beneficial insects over sprays for houseplant pests? 🪴 For me, one of the biggest reasons is time. Traditional pest treatments can work, but they require you to find the pests, spray thoroughly, repeat treatments, and keep monitoring. Beneficial insects can actively search for the pests they’re there to eat, while also avoiding the issue of pesticide resistance. With 250+ plants, I want to know if biological pest control can keep my collection healthy with less intervention from me.

09/19/2026

🌱 Want to get What’s Growing On? The first issue is coming in October!

Sign up free here: https://blenny-cardioid-4x5x.squarespace.com

09/19/2026

🌱 Something new is growing!

I just launched What’s Growing On, a free monthly email where I can go a little deeper than I can in a 60-second video.

Each month I’ll be sharing timely plant care tips, seasonal reminders, lessons I’m learning in the greenhouse, and the plant science that helps you understand why your plants do what they do.

Think of it as a little plant check-in from me to your inbox. 🪴💚

The first one is coming in October!

Sign up here: https://blenny-cardioid-4x5x.squarespace.com/

09/18/2026

How often do you actually need to release beneficial insects for houseplant pest control? 🪴 It depends on whether you’re using them for prevention or treating an active infestation. Beneficial insects don’t necessarily need to live on your plants year-round to keep a collection pest-free. Understanding prevention, treatment, pest life cycles, and monitoring completely changed how I thought about the commitment involved.

09/18/2026

Thinking about using beneficial insects for houseplant pests but not sure you want to intentionally release bugs inside your home? 🪴 That was by far the biggest concern when I asked what was stopping you. So let’s talk about what using beneficial insects indoors actually looks like, where they go, and whether you’re really just replacing one pest problem with another.