Tips for Attracting Beneficial Insects to Your Garden

Insects can be a scary sight, and you might be quick to grab insecticide or a bug swatter when you see a few. But the truth is, your garden needs certain insects in order to grow and flourish properly. Some garden bugs are actually not pests at all, but beneficial insects that can help keep your garden free from the intruders that would love to do some damage. If you want to know more about the insects that actually keep your garden beautiful, take a look below at a list of beneficial insects for your garden. It turns out, they are actually quite happy to give you a hand!

Tips for Attracting Beneficial Insects

Lacewings

Lacewings are a delicate and quite beautiful insect, with a light green coloring and lace like wings. They love eating aphids, and can eat a rather large amount! Attract them to your garden by planting dill and fennel, which Lacewings also love to dine on.

Ladybugs

Who doesn’t love ladybugs? They are beautiful and don’t bite, and they have a huge appetite for aphids as well. You can attract them to your yard by keeping shallow dishes of water out, as well as by planting dill, fennel, butterfly weed, and buckwheat. Ladybugs also love low ground cover to find shade in.

Tachinid Flies

Don’t swat that fly just yet! Tachinid flies look like a common housefly, yet they have an iridescent wing. They eat aphids as well as the larvae of beetles and stink bugs. They love to eat lemon balm, so plant some in your garden to attract them to dine.

Preying Mantis

A Preying Mantis can eat an incredible amount of pests such as aphids and larvae. Plant marigolds and cosmos to attract praying mantises. Leaving out shallow dishes of water may help as well, as will having plenty of ground cover for them to hide in. These are also a fun bug for kids to find and explore!

Butterflies and Bumble Bees

Butterflies and Bumble Bees may not eat other pests, but they will help pollinate your garden and the planet for that matter. Plant plenty of butterfly bush and salvia to attract them to dine! Shallow dishes of water may also help, as will providing low ground cover. Here are some more tips for attracting bees and attracting butterflies.

Remember, using a chemical pest repelling product will not only kill your bad insects, but your good ones as well. Don’t let this happen! Instead, invite these “good bugs” into your garden to take care of the pest problem for you. They won’t cause any issue to you (bites, stings, etc.) and will only do good.

Consider attracting these insects to your garden to keep it pest free and looking its best naturally!