| Written By Lara Wadsworth |
The garden is a complex ecosystem that relies on a mix of organisms to create a flourishing growing environment. While pests can lead to destructive damage, beneficial insects act as a balance by consuming them before they completely destroy your harvesting potential. These beneficial insects play a crucial role in natural pest control, reducing the need for harsh chemical interventions. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore some of the most common beneficial insects, understand why they are garden guardians, learn about the pests they target, and discover how gardeners can attract these invaluable allies to their green spaces.
Why They're Beneficial: Ladybugs are voracious predators of aphids, scale insects, and mites. While they are very attractive and harmless to both adult and child, they are a force to be reckoned with in the garden without munching on your precious harvest.
Pests They TargetAphids, scale insects, mites, and small insect eggs.
Tips for Attracting Ladybugs:
While both American and Asian ladybugs belong to the same family (Coccinellidae) and share the same distinctive shape and spots, there are notable differences between the two. The most common ladybug in North America is the native species, often called the American ladybug (Harmonia axyridis). American ladybugs typically feature a red or orange back with distinct black spots and a solid black head. On the other hand, the Asian ladybug (Harmonia axyridis succinea), introduced as a biological control agent, can vary in color from mustard yellow to pale orange and have an “M” marking on their head. While both species contribute to pest control, the introduction of the Asian ladybug has sparked concerns due to its tendency to seek shelter indoors during the winter months and overtake the American ladybug in some areas.
Why They're Beneficial: Lacewings are known for their delicate appearance but fierce appetite for pests. Their larvae, often referred to as "aphid lions," pursue aphids, caterpillars, and mites.
Pests They Target: Aphids, caterpillars, mites, thrips, and insect eggs.
Tips for Attracting Lacewings: Plant pollen and nectar-producing flowers like dill, cilantro, fennel, yarrow, and sunflowers. Small flowers like Queen Anne's Lace are especially attractive to lacewings because of their accessibility.
Why They're Beneficial: Hoverflies, often mistaken for bees, are essential pollinators and efficient predators in their larval stage. Their larvae feed on aphids, thrips, and small caterpillars.
Pests They Target: Aphids, thrips, and small caterpillars.
Tips for Attracting Hoverflies: Allow some garden areas to be naturally wild, providing a habitat for hoverflies. Like lacewings, hoverflies are attracted to small flowers like Queen Anne's Lace, mustard, alyssum, carrots, and dill. Mixing herbs and flowers together is a great way to benefit from the natural pest control habits of beneficial insects.
Why They're Beneficial: Praying mantises are skilled hunters with an appetite for a wide range of garden pests. They are known for their patience and ability to catch pests with their powerful forelimbs.
Pests They Target: Aphids, flies, mosquitoes, beetles, and caterpillars.
Tips for Attracting Praying Mantises: Because prying mantises can target larger pests like grasshoppers and mosquitoes, they are highly valued in the home garden. You can invite them into your garden by providing plenty of native wildflowers and a shallow water source.
Why They're Beneficial: Ground beetles are nocturnal hunters that forage on the ground, preying on a variety of pests. Their larvae are particularly effective at consuming soil-dwelling pests.
Pests They Target: Slugs, snails, caterpillars, maggots, and other soil-dwelling insects.
Tips for Attracting Ground Beetles: These crawling insects are attracted to areas with plenty of organic matter to feed on and live in. Grasses are a great way to provide this environment during the winter season. Applying mulch over planting beds can also support ground beetles as they hunt for popular garden pests.
Why They're Beneficial: Parasitic wasps lay their eggs on or inside other insects that are considered pests, using them as hosts for their larvae. They are particularly effective in controlling caterpillar and aphid populations.
Pests They Target: Caterpillars, aphids, and other soft-bodied insects.
Tips for Attracting Parasitic Wasps: A diverse supply of nectar, pollen, and host insects are the best way to invite these helpers into your garden space. Be sure to include plenty of small flowers as the adults feed on fluid nectar.
7 comments
I find lady bugs and praying mantises in my backyard but I also find some aphids, mites, mealy bugs, and slugs in the canna lillies. The lady bugs don’t seem to be around during the same time of year as the pests.
Please learn about Praying Mantis, our natives are small. The ones that can kill hummers, are not native and are huge.
Excellent article! Trying to grow sustainably without chemicals led me to discover these beneficial insects and to help kids understand that “all bugs aren’t bad” I wrote and illustrated a book about them: https://sunsugarfarms.com/product/children-garden-book/
Ha! Clearly I skimmed through the article instead of reading through carefully.
Here is my real questions:
1) Do you know companies provide the native beneficial insects varieties in US?
2) How shallow does the water need to be safe for bugs? Is Bird bath too deep? Is that under 1cm range?
I would love to release praying mantis and such but the problem is I don’t find the good source of native species. What can I do to provide the good environments for beneficial insects for home owners?