Quck answer
Here are the 10 most beneficial insects for your garden and how to attract them:
1. Ladybugs: Plant pollen and nectar-rich flowers like daisies and marigolds.
2. Bees: Grow a diverse range of flowering plants, avoid pesticides, and provide a water source.
3. Lacewings: Plant dill, coriander, and yarrow to attract them.
4. Praying mantis: Create a pesticide-free environment with plenty of vegetation for them to hide in.
5. Hoverflies: Plant flowers like lavender and marigold to attract them.
6. Ground beetles: Provide ground cover and avoid tilling the soil excessively.
7. Parasitic wasps: Plant nectar-rich flowers and avoid using pesticides.
8. Tachinid flies: Allow some areas of your garden to go wild to provide a habitat for them.
9. Soldier beetles: Plant flowers like goldenrod and daisies to attract them.
10. Spiders: Create a diverse garden with plenty of vegetation for them to build their webs.
By attracting these beneficial insects, you can promote a healthy ecosystem in your garden and naturally control pests without relying on harmful chemicals.
Aside from pollinators like butterflies and bees, there are numerous other insects that provide benefits to your garden plants. Some of these beneficial insects consume plant pests, resulting in a healthier growing environment for your garden. Attracting these beneficial insects can often be as simple as incorporating a few plants they prefer, such as flowering herbs or nectar-producing flowers. Beneficial insects are also an excellent form of natural pest control, as they are chemical-free and completely safe for both the soil and the plants.
Here is a list of the top 10 most beneficial insects to attract to your yard.
1. Ladybugs and Their Larvae
The ladybug, which is one of the most easily recognizable beneficial insects, is a fantastic addition to any garden. Also known as ladybirds, ladybird beetles, or lady beetles, there are over 400 species of these iconic spotted insects in North America. Ladybugs feed on a variety of soft-bodied pests, such as aphids, thrips, small caterpillars, potato beetles, mealybugs, whiteflies, and some insect eggs and larvae. In its short lifespan, which is often shorter than the average growing season, a single ladybug can consume up to 5,000 pests.
The appearance of ladybug larvae is drastically different from the adults, and it is crucial not to harm them because they also prey on pests like aphids. The larvae resemble spiky, short caterpillars or tiny black alligators with red markings. Ladybugs typically lay their eggs near aphid colonies to ensure that the larvae have an abundant food source once the eggs hatch. Some species lay eggs multiple times during the growing season, providing additional benefits to nearby plants.
Attract ladybugs by having a variety of plants nearby, such as dill, fennel, cilantro, oregano, and thyme. Ladybugs are also attracted to dandelions and Queen Anne’s lace. Additionally, many types of ladybugs consume pollen and nectar in addition to plant pests. If you purchase ladybugs for your garden, keep in mind that they may not stay in your garden since they are capable of flying freely. As long as there is a consistent food source nearby, the ladybugs should continue to frequent your yard.
2. Hover Flies
Hover flies encompass thousands of species that vary greatly from one another; in other words, not all hover flies have the same appearance. They range in size from 0.25 to 1.25 inches long and often display black and yellow markings, similar to many bees and some wasps. Some hover flies may also have red or brown areas. It is easy to mistake certain varieties for bees or wasps, as they often possess a similar shape. The most straightforward way to differentiate them from bees and wasps with a similar shape is that hover flies have only two wings, while bees and wasps have four.
Hover fly larvae, which resemble caterpillars, prey on garden pests like aphids, thrips, and scale insects. Adult hover flies consume flower nectar and unintentionally pollinate plants in their quest for nourishment, making them beneficial insects both in their adult and larval stages.
Encourage hover flies to visit your garden by cultivating numerous nectar-producing flowers, such as alyssum. Hover flies also feed on the nectar of herb flowers like dill and coriander.
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Philcaro/iStock/GettyImages
3. Green Lacewings
Green lacewings are light-green insects with transparent, large wings. When fully grown, a lacewing measures about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long and is often found in areas with nearby aphids. Similar to hover flies, adult lacewings primarily consume nectar and pollen.
The lacewing larvae play a vital role in reducing the population of harmful insects in the garden, such as aphids, caterpillars, and beetles. These larvae, also known as aphid lions, have a brown and tan caterpillar-like appearance with visible mandibles at the head. They are voracious eaters and can consume a wide range of soft-bodied pests, including aphids, thrips, spider mites, whiteflies, and mealybugs. They also feed on butterfly and moth eggs. To attract lacewings to the garden, it is recommended to grow a variety of flowering plants throughout the growing season and minimize the use of pesticides.
Dragonflies and damselflies are not only fascinating to watch but also beneficial for controlling pests like mosquitoes and moths. These four-winged insects lay their eggs in or near water. Immature dragonflies are helpful as they eat mosquito larvae found in calm water. Damselflies, which are often mistaken for dragonflies, also provide similar benefits. To attract dragonflies, it is advisable to have backyard ponds and plants around the water. However, caution should be exercised if there is a garden designed to attract butterflies, as some dragonflies may eat them.
Assassin bugs, such as the leafhopper assassin bug (Zelus renardii), are highly useful in the garden. They are about 1/2 inch long, with a red and brown top and a green to yellow underside. These predatory insects inject a digestive enzyme into their prey, allowing them to consume insects larger than themselves. Leafhopper assassin bugs feed on a variety of pests, including leafhoppers, mites, aphids, boll weevils, thrips, and mealybugs. However, they may also eat other predatory insects like ladybugs, so it is best not to introduce both insects to the garden simultaneously. Assassin bugs can be found on various garden plants, trees, and shrubs, like bugs in the Zelus genus. Some species, such as the spined assassin bug (Sinea diadema), are particularly attracted to wildflowers like goldenrod.
Soldier beetles, also known as leatherwings, are similar in size and shape to lightning bugs but lack the ability to glow. They are often yellow or reddish with black or brown markings on their wings. While they feed on plant nectar and contribute to pollination, they are also predators of other insects, including caterpillars, aphids, grasshopper eggs, and certain beetle species that are harmful to crops. Soldier beetle larvae consume the larvae and eggs of other insects like grasshoppers, moths, and beetles. However, some soldier beetles may also eat beneficial insects.
Soldier beetles are attracted to flowers that have many small blooms, like goldenrod and milkweed. They also prefer environments with moisture or water nearby.
7. Robber Flies
Robber flies, which have over 1,000 species in North America, have a menacing name. These flies have long, slender bodies with a hump-like protrusion behind their heads, resembling a mix between a wasp and a damselfly rather than a typical housefly. Robber flies can be brown or black, but some have colorations similar to bumblebees.
Robber flies are fast and attack prey that is larger than themselves. Some species specifically target grasshoppers, while others are generalists and feed on hornets, wasps, flies, bees, and even butterflies.
The larvae of robber flies are small and white, and they live in soil or decaying wood. They prey on grubs and insect eggs. Robber flies are attracted to plants that produce nectar, such as goldenrod, as the females need this sugary substance before laying eggs.
8. Parasitic Wasps
Parasitic wasps, also known as parasitoid wasps, are effective biological control methods for managing plant pests. There are numerous species of parasitic wasps in North America, many of which are less than 1/2 inch long. Some are so small that they can go unnoticed, being barely larger than a grain of sand. These wasps lay their eggs inside other insects or insect eggs. Once the wasp larvae hatch, they feed on caterpillars, leafhoppers, thrips, flies, and various crop pests.
Braconid wasps are particularly helpful in controlling cabbage worms and tomato hornworms. The trichogramma wasp, which is the size of a gnat, is widely used as a biological control wasp for sale. Its larvae prey on cabbage worms, cabbage loopers, tomato hornworms, corn borers, and many types of moths. Providing a shallow birdbath with rocks offers resting and drinking spots for parasitic wasps.
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jamesbenet/iStock/GettyImages
9. Praying Mantis
The iconic praying mantis is more accurately described as “preying” since it consumes various types of insects. Praying mantises eat flies, beetles, moths, mosquitoes, crickets, and other insects. In cases of extreme hunger, they may even eat members of their own species.
Praying mantises have a diverse diet that extends beyond garden pests. Some mantises will even devour relatively large creatures, such as frogs. If you have hummingbird feeders, be cautious, especially in the late season when mantises have grown larger. A voracious praying mantis can hide on a feeder, capture, and kill hummingbirds.
While praying mantises are beneficial for garden plants, if you have already introduced other beneficial insects, you may not want to add praying mantises since they do not discriminate when searching for insects to eat.
10. Mites
Predatory mites are primarily used to control the common plant pest known as spider mites. Some predatory mites also prey on thrips. Tiny orange or pink predatory mites can even be effective indoors for plants infested with spider mites. In a day, predatory mites can consume 20 to 25 young spider mites or spider mite eggs, or more than five fully grown spider mites. These helpful tiny predators are sold in cooled containers and can be applied to plants by shaking them onto the affected plants after misting them with water. The predatory mites will locate their prey on the underside of plant leaves.
Only a small number of these helpful mites are needed to control pest populations on an average houseplant or garden plant. However, it takes 500 or more mites to treat a tree that has been affected.
Ways to Attract Beneficial Insects to Your Garden
Similar to attracting birds to your backyard feeders, the easiest way to attract beneficial insects is to have the type of food or shelter they are looking for in your yard. Many beneficial insects feed on nectar during their adult phase. Nectar plants, like alyssum, bloom early in the spring and attract beneficial bugs, such as parasitic wasps, to your yard at the beginning of the growing season. This helps keep pests under control.
Other plants, like yarrow and Queen Anne’s lace, also benefit beneficial insects. Having an herb garden is another great way to attract them, and you can also use the herbs for cooking or for their fragrance. Lavender, lemon balm, dill, sage, fennel, and mint are all excellent at attracting beneficial insects, especially when you allow some of the plants to flower. Usually, it is the flowers that the beneficial bugs enjoy rather than the leaves of these plants.
The best way to attract more beneficial insects to your yard is to be cautious about using any pesticides or toxic chemicals outdoors. Many pesticides kill all types of insects, including beneficial ones, and some can harm honeybees, which are crucial to the ecosystem. If possible, avoid using toxic pest-killing chemicals and plant treatments altogether to create a healthier environment. It is also important to remember that chemicals sprayed on or around plants can end up in the soil and waterways due to runoff.
