Insect Allies: Beneficial Bugs to Encourage in Your Garden

Gardeners everywhere understand that taking care of a good ecosystem is really important. Helpful insects are really important for keeping the environment healthy. They help control pests and also assist with pollination. Take a moment to check out a few helpful insects that you should support in your garden.

The Bug Killers

Ladybugs are popular helpful bugs that eat a lot of aphids. These bright beetles can eat as many as 5,000 aphids during their lives. Getting more ladybugs can help deal with pest problems without using chemical sprays. Try planting dill, fennel, and yarrow to bring these colorful predators into your garden.

The group called the Green Guardians

Lacewings are helpful insects that are good at dealing with tiny pests such as mealybugs caterpillars and aphids. The young ones called aphid lions are really aggressive when it comes to eating. To bring in lacewings you can plant flowers like asters and goldenrods or let some wildflowers grow to give them food and a place to hide.

Bees and guardians

People sometimes confuse hoverflies with tiny bees. They are really good at pollinating plants and help keep pests in check too. The young ones eat aphids thrips and a few tiny caterpillars. Plant herbs such as mint dill and chamomile in your garden to attract beneficial insects. Your plants will grow well and you will make your herb collection smell nice too.

Wasp species that live off other creatures: The Quiet Protectors

The word 'wasp' usually makes people think of getting stung but parasitic wasps are not like that at all. They actually help out by keeping pests in check. They put their eggs on or in pests which helps to lower the number of caterpillars larvae and other pests in the garden. You can bring in these wasps by planting things such as marigolds cosmos and cilantro.

Ground beetles are a type of insect that lives on the ground: Creatures that hunt after dark

Ground beetles usually stay hidden and come out at night to hunt for various garden pests like slugs root maggots and cutworms. They do well in places where they can find shelter and something to eat. You might want to think about putting in some low plants or making sure there is a layer of mulch. Plants such as clover can provide a place for them to live.

The Fighters of the Loom

Even though they can look pretty scary, spiders are really good at keeping pests under control in gardens. They eat many different kinds of insects which helps keep pest numbers in check. To help spiders thrive you should have different kinds of plants keep the soil as undisturbed as possible and steer clear of strong pesticides that can harm their homes.

Making a habitat that is balanced

To get these helpful bugs to come around you need to make a space that has a variety of plants and feels inviting. This involves putting in different kinds of flowers and herbs and making sure there are always some in bloom during the growing season. Think about adding local plants that these bugs are used to.

Putting out little water spots such as shallow bird baths can help these helpful insects. Just keep in mind that not cleaning up everything all the time can really help. Dried leaves and decaying plants make great hiding places for helpful insects during the winter.

When gardeners help these insects they are boosting biodiversity and cutting down on the use of chemicals. This is good for the planet and helps gardens thrive.