The use of companion plants and interplanting have been proposed as methods to increase the abundance and activity of insect predators and parasitoids thus providing a sustainable pest management approach. We have been evaluating the effects of companion plants and interplanting of apple and peach trees on the biological control of aphids in apple in the eastern US. The most effective biological control agent in these orchards is the coccinellid Harmonia axyridis. The aphid species we have studied are Aphis spiraecola and Dysaphis plantaginea. Monoculture orchards were compared with interplanted apple and peach trees. Companion plants (Fagopyrum esculentum, Anethum graveolens, Phacelia campanularia, and a mixture of wild flowers) were planted under the fruit trees in two of the orchards to evaluate their impact on aphid biological control. Natural infestations of aphids and H. axyridis were monitored for growth and development in 4 one-half hectare orchards on the research farm from 1998 through 2005. Although H. axyridis is a very effective predator of aphids with very efficient foraging abilities there were subtle effects of the presence of additional plant based food resources on aphid biological control. A proposed novel orchard planting design to maximize biological control of insect pests in apple as part of an overall sustainable orchard production system is proposed.