What are Beneficial Insects?
These are insects that help you fight the harmful insects in your garden. They are your helpers, your allies. Beneficial insects survive by hunting and feeding on insects that are feeding on your plants! You may know a few of them…
Ladybugs aka Ladybird Beetles
You can read more about Convergent Ladybugs here.
Convergent are one of the most popular ladybugs but there are actually many different kinds of Ladybugs!
Green Lacewing
You can read more about Green Lacewing here.
Praying Mantids
You can read more about Praying Mantids here.
Did you know about these?
Syrphid aka Hover Flies
Read more about Syrphids here.
Wasps & Yellowjackets
These aren’t typically listed as a beneficial because they can be aggressive and inflict painful stings. However, I can tell you from personal experience that wasps are given a bad rap. I have watched every summer, as wasps hunt around plants looking for insects. That’s right, they are a predator! So unless you are allergic to bee and wasp stings, next time you find one in your garden, stay calm they are working for you!
Read more about the difference between Yellowjackets and other wasps here.
Leafcutter Bee
Read more about the Leafcutter Bee here.
Why do Beneficial Insects matter?
Other than the obvious allies they are, why do beneficial insects matter? Many of these beneficial insects are also important pollinators. Did you know that? Bees aren’t the only pollinators out there! If we don’t have pollination, we don’t have more flowers and food, among other things.
Insects in general are also food for many other living organisms such as birds, reptiles, amphibians and more. So they play an important part in our ecosystem.
How do I encourage Beneficial Insects?
You’ve likely purchased beneficial insects to add to the ecosystem of your yard and garden only to find they almost all seem to disappear. This can happen for many reasons including, not enough of a food source, inhospitable environment, lack of shelter, lack of water and more. The best way to keep beneficial insects in your yard is to make it the most desirable place to be!
What to do
- Avoid spraying for weeds or insects unless it’s absolutely necessary. This means setting your own definition of an infestation.
- Spray only where needed, with the most selective and least persistent pesticide and ONLY AS DIRECTED! More is not better. Organic sprays are not always the answer here either. For example, Neem oil is a very common organic insecticide yet it is very toxic. Don’t believe me? Read the label!
- An ounce of prevention…this old and widely used adage is still very true. Keep your plants healthy by fertilizing only as directed with an organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizers build the soil and healthy plants begin with healthy soil.
- Use earthworm castings and other organic matter in your soil regularly. This will further contribute to a healthy soil which will result in healthier plants.
- Water as needed. Many plants will produce excessive and very lush, tender growth when given more water than they need. This growth is very susceptible and attractive to many insects whose populations can expand rapidly like aphids and whiteflies.
I could go on but if you follow these 5 steps you will be well on your way to a yard full of beneficial insects!