Attract more bugs that are good for the garden.

An average backyard has thousands of different insects living in it. You may be surprised to find out that some are actually beneficial for your plants and vegetables. Most bugs that are good for the garden fall into these two categories:

1. Pollinators: Insects such as bees, flies, butterflies, and moths help gardens thrive by pollinating the flowers.
2. Predators: Praying mantis, ladybugs, and spiders eliminate pests that are a threat to gardens by feeding on them.

Meet a few of the beneficial bugs in your yard.

Most people already know that bees and butterflies are a great addition to have in your garden, but what about all of the other beneficial insects? Here are a few you might want to become familiar with.

Praying Mantis

A praying mantis is a fierce predator that hunts many of the pests that terrorize your backyard and gardens. However, they are so ruthless that they will also eat beneficial insects such as hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and even their own species!

Ladybugs

Even with their cutesy name and quaint appearance, ladybugs are actually quite the vicious predator! Fun fact: ladybugs can eat up to 40 aphids in one hour!

"Large numbers of aphids can weaken sensitive seedlings and cause leaf stunting, yellowing and curling on mature plants."

-Pesticide Research Institiute

 

Spiders

Spiders are often overlooked as beneficial, but they actually offer very effective pest control. Since spiders are attracted by movement, they eat a lot of the destructive insects running a muck in your garden. Wolf spiders and jumping spiders are especially good at keeping these unwanted pests under control.

Other bugs that are good for the garden include Green Lacewings, Ground Beetles, Soldier Beetles, Assasin Bugs, Robber Flies, Hoverflies, and Parasitic Wasps.