Beneficial garden insects play an important role in keeping your garden healthy. These “good bugs” help by eating pest insects that can damage plants, pollinating flowers, and controlling harmful species. In your backyard, most insects are either harmless or beneficial, and they generally fall into three main categories:
- Predators: They eliminate pests by eating them.
- Pollinators: We depend on these insects to pollinate our garden flowers.
- Parasitizers: Like predators, they prey on other insects, but in a different way. They lay their eggs on or in the bad bugs, and when the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the hosts.
For more information about insects and pollinators, see the USDA guide on insects and pollinators.
Beneficial Garden Insects
To introduce you to some of the most helpful insects, we’ve created a list of the top predators, pollinators, and parasitizers for your garden.
Green Lacewings: Beneficial Garden Insects That Prey on Aphids
These beneficial bugs feed on nectar and pollen, but their larvae prey on pests like aphids and caterpillars.
Ladybugs: Beneficial Garden Insects That Protect Your Plants
You may think of them as harmless or even cute, but did you know these little guys are fierce. As they start in life, they cruise around feasting on aphids. In fact, ladybug larvae can eat up to 40 aphids an hour.
Spiders: Natural Pest Controllers for Your Garden
Not everyone’s favorite arachnid (that’s right, it’s technically not an insect), but spiders are great pest controllers. They are attracted by movement and eat many live insects and are great at keeping pests under control.
Ground Beetles: Insects That Eat Harmful Pests
Both beneficial as larvae or as adults, ground beetles will eat a wide range of insects, including caterpillars, slugs, silverfish, thrips and nematodes.
Hoverflies: Beneficial Garden Insects That Pollinate Your Yard
These beneficial bugs look like tiny Yellowjackets, but they don’t have a stinger. They feed on pollen and nectar and extremely important pollinators. Their larvae are ferocious predators as well. They will kill aphids, caterpillars, beetles and thrips.
We’ve only touched on a few beneficial bugs for your garden, and like all living creatures, they have a basic need for food, water and shelter. By providing these things, your garden will become an inviting home for them.
The Bug Man knows all things bugs; if you need advice or assistance attracting good bugs or getting rid of the bad ones, give us a call or schedule a professional pest control service today.