Gardening comes with many roadblocks and challenges. And gardening indoors can be even more difficult. The list of additional challenges range from the accidental spills to finding the right spots for each plant’s successful growth. Apartment gardeners have to be resourceful of their space while still playing with the natural processes going on.

One of the biggest problems with apartment gardening is what to do when insects start to invade. They start buzzing over your precious plants and invite other creatures higher up on the food chain. Definitely not ideal.

Knowing how ecosystems function will lead to answers to the pest problem. Introducing an attractive creature that will eat the little bugs that are terrorizing your living space will close the loop of plants, insects and predators… Introducing Link the Frog.

Link, a white’s tree frog purchased from a local pet supply store, is the final link in the chain of creatures living in our apartment (unless of course you include us!). Cute, quiet, friendly, and easy to take care of, Link hangs with us. Link sits in his terrarium most of the day, eating a regular dose of crickets and meal worms. Until we let him out to do what he does best, eat bugs.

All it takes to get rid of the pests attacking our plants is to set Link on a plant where bugs have started to invade. Link will crawl all over the plants, munching on a these tasty snacks. It is fun to watch the little frog jump from branch to branch, catching many little bugs as he moves around. Setting him out for just an hour or two a day takes care of most of the little bugs bothering our apartment ecosystem.

Teaming up with nature in this way has solved the bug problem in the apartment and added a new friend to our lives. White tree frogs are very friendly towards humans and will adapt to you and your life. There are many more amphibians and reptiles you could use for this same purpose. But don’t forget to think about the entire ecosystem while choosing a partner in plant growth.

Photos: Elizabeth Adan

By Jake Frazier

Jake Frazier is an outdoor enthusiast and the owner of Residential Ecology, a sustainable ecological resource management company. He uses existing natural systems to improve the quality of life for both humans and the Earth. Jake is interested in permaculture, living systems and exploring. Connect with him on LinkedIn.