When creepy crawlies find their way into your home, grabbing a shoe or a bottle of bug spray is a natural response. But what should you do if they’re in your garden? Spraying them with a stream of poison may not be the best solution. Even if you’re not a fan of bugs, some insects are great for your garden – pollinating the flowers, eating bad insects, and even decomposing matter so your plants can absorb all the best nutrients.
It may surprise you to know that of all the insects flying and crawling around your garden, Robin Sweetser states in The Old Farmer’s Almanac, that only about a tenth of them are destructive. The other 90% are either harmless or beneficial! Allowing those little garden helpers to continue their heroic deeds will create a healthy, balanced ecosystem in your garden.
The Heroes of Your Garden, According to Experts
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Most people recognize that bees and butterflies are great to have on and around your plants, but there are many other beneficial insects you may not know about.
We gathered expert advice from entomologists, horticulturists, master gardeners, university extensions, and entomology departments – like Cornell and Ohio State University – so you can attract and keep the most helpful bugs in your garden. Here are just a few you will want to know about!
Ground Beetles
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Not all beetles are the same! When I lived in Kentucky, we had an awful time when Japanese beetles invaded. They devastated our plants and trees until we found a reliable way to kill them. Even though these flying beetles can be destructive, there are lots of predatory beetles out there that will eat other destructive insects in your garden. Sweetser explains that ground beetles consume insects like caterpillars, nematodes, slugs, and silverfish.
University of Minnesota Extension entomologists Jeffrey Hahn and Stephen Kells explain that ground beetles are common beetles that rarely fly. They are found in many environments, from forests and fields to shorelines and agriculture. You probably won’t see ground beetles because they come out at night to hunt, but they are working hard to keep your garden healthy.
Ladybugs
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You may not be a fan of Asian lady beetles if they find their way into your house every fall. But all ladybugs (including Asian lady beetles) can be helpful in your garden because they devour other pests. According to West Virginia University (WVU) Extension entomology specialist Carlos Quesada, ladybugs eat bugs like aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites. Sweetser says a ladybug larva can eat up to 40 aphids an hour! However, when Asian lady beetles flock together (which they always seem to do), there is potential for crop destruction, so watch out for that!
To attract ladybugs to your garden, keep in mind that they’re looking for pollen and prey. Daniel Johnson from Northern Gardener suggests planting flowers! If you’re mainly planting vegetables and fruits, consider planting a perimeter of flowers around them to entice ladybugs. Calendula, cosmos, and geraniums are just a few smart choices. Herbs like chives and dill are great, too.
Green Lacewings
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Try attracting green lacewings to your garden to feed on nectar and pollen. They’re not just great pollinators – after laying eggs, their larvae hatch and go to work, feeding on pests like young caterpillars, aphids, and even insect eggs.
Landscape designer and garden writer Deb Courtner suggests planting goldenrod, coreopsis, yarrow, cosmos, marguerite daisies, and Queen Anne’s lace to entice green lacewings to your garden.
Praying Mantises
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The praying mantis is another predatory insect that will hunt down those pesky bugs. Quesada says they’re not as beneficial as ladybugs and green lacewings because of their cannibalistic side. They kill nearly half of their mates, which leaves few to oversee your garden. But they still help by eating pests like moths, flies, and beetles.
Sweetser notes that they will, unfortunately, eat beneficial creatures like bees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds! Your garden is its own little balanced ecosystem after all. As a kid, I was told that a praying mantis would cut off my finger if I picked it up! That’s not true, of course: they’re pretty harmless to people. But since they could bite if confused, it’s best to leave them alone to do their good work.
Hoverflies
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Hoverflies are excellent pollinators that enjoy pollen and nectar, so don’t swat at them! They look like small yellow jackets, but with only one pair of wings and no stinger. Andrea Kautz and Mary Gardiner from Ohio State University Department of Entomology note that hoverflies are often mistaken for sweat bees, especially since some are attracted to human sweat and may land on your skin. But unlike sweat bees, hoverflies do not sting or bite.
Their larvae are beneficial too, but for another reason. Sweester shares that these baby insects suck the life (literally) out of caterpillars, beetles, aphids, and thrips. Lidia Komondy from Cornell Department of Entomology says that just one larva can consume as many as 400 aphids while it’s developing! To welcome this helpful bug to your yard, consider planting parsley, dill, or clover.
Dragonflies
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If you can attract dragonflies to your garden, you will be thrilled to see the mosquitoes starting to disappear! Kate Streit from ABC News says one dragonfly can snatch up 100 of those blood-thirsty monsters per day.
To attract dragonflies to your garden and yard, remember that they are aquatic insects, so having a pond or fountain in your yard is helpful. Streit explains that water should be two feet deep, which is too deep for mosquito larvae to survive. A bubbler is a good addition if there is no fountain, as well as floating vegetation. Dragonflies like meadow sage and black-eyed Susans, too.
Robber Flies
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Don’t shoo robber flies out of your garden! They may look a bit intimidating, but they are generally harmless to people. While they can bite, they aren’t aggressive toward humans and will only act in defense if threatened.
According to Galveston County Master Gardeners, these interesting insects are one of a few that can snatch their prey out of the air! Robber flies snack on wasps, grasshoppers, and beetles – just to name a few. The adults and their larvae both eat voraciously, but one downside is that they don’t discriminate in their choice of insects. So, you may lose some beneficial garden bugs while robber flies are around. Still, their benefits outweigh any negatives and help maintain a balanced ecosystem in your garden.
Parasitic Wasps
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When I first started growing tomatoes, I was horrified to find two gigantic, bright green caterpillars – covered in white, fuzzy, egg-looking things – on my plants! I didn’t know it at the time, but those huge caterpillars were hornworms, and the cocoons were parasitic wasp eggs.
Parasitic wasps are super small warriors in the garden. They infect garden pests by laying their eggs inside or on them. When the larvae hatch, Quesada says they feed on the host and reproduce inside their bodies (gross but cool how nature works). Eventually, the host dies.
Trichogramma wasps are one type of parasitic wasp that lays its eggs inside the eggs of garden pests, so the pests can’t reproduce. Joe Julian, an entomologist and Colorado State University Extension director, suggests planting umbrella-shaped flowers and herbs, like zinnias, yarrow, fennel, and dill, to draw parasitic wasps.
Spiders
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For a healthy, balanced garden environment, don’t kill the spiders! Yes, they can be creepy-looking, but they are fantastic at hunting pests that will destroy your plants. They are technically arachnids, not insects, but they’re excellent for natural pest control. Sweetser points out that spiders consume a large amount of live insects because they are drawn to movement.
Horticulturist Dr. Greg Grant says jumping spiders and wolf spiders are stealthy hunters that eat insects hiding in mulch and leaves on the garden floor. Orb-weaver spiders spin large webs across plants to catch flying bugs, like mosquitoes and flies.
Moths
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You’ve probably heard of butterfly gardens (maybe you even have one!), but have you ever considered a moth garden? Despite their less-than-favorable reputation, Conserving Carolina explains that moths and their caterpillars are an essential food source for wildlife, like birds and bats. You can increase biodiversity by attracting these fascinating, often-overlooked pollinators. But, you might have to ditch the dream of a picture-perfect garden and welcome a bit of leaf-nibbling—channel your inner Very Hungry Caterpillar and you’re on the right track!
You can create a Moon Garden to welcome moths by planting strongly scented plants and night-blooming flowers, such as Moon Flower and Tina James Magic Evening Primrose, and white or light-colored plants. Silvery plants, like Lamb’s Ear, will also light up beautifully in the moonlight.
Pitch the Pesticides?
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While beneficial insects help maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem in your garden, you are still likely to need pesticides occasionally to deal with large pest outbreaks. When that happens, Penn State Extension suggests choosing a pesticide with little or no residual effect.
Why? Because while pesticides target pests, they can also harm the helpful bugs you’ve worked to attract, and you don’t want the damage to continue after the pests are gone.
