Images of crops teeming with mites, beetles and flies would seem to be the last thing a farmer would want, let alone try to achieve. for a growing number of Washington and Oregon farmers, however, crop-friendly bugs are the preferred eco-friendly solution to destructive weeds and insects.

While the practice of using “beetle banks,” mounds of soil used to house a variety of insects, is widely practiced in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, it is only starting to catch on in the U.S. Advocates claim the practice is a sustainable farming technique that provides all the benefits of pesticides without any harmful environmental side effects.

The bug strips are designed to mimic hedgerows and allow beneficial insects, including beetles, wasps, lady bugs, mites and flies, protection from farm equipment and wintery conditions. Insects are able to venture out from the strips to nearby fields and eat weed seeds and plant-damaging pests.

Brad Bailie, an organic farmer in Connell, Wash., said it is too soon for him to quantify how effective the beetle banks are, but noted he has not had any pest outbreaks since he began using them, according to the Tri-City Herald.

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