Four Beneficial Insects You Want in Your Garden

March 19th, 2015

Some homeowners want to eradicate all insects from their gardens. Some insects, however, can improve the health of your garden and lawn. You want these four beneficial insects in your garden.

Soldier Beetles

Soldier beetles may look a little frightening, but they have appetites that can make a garden healthier and more beautiful. Young, larval soldier beetles eat grasshopper and moth eggs. Eating the eggs makes it impossible for those unwanted guests to damage your plants and flowers.

Adult soldier beetles prefer to dine on aphids. Aphids cause more problems than just about any other outdoor insect. Anything you can do to lower the aphid population is good for your garden.

If you don't already have soldier beetles in your garden, try planting some goldenrod or marigolds. Soldier beetles are attracted to these plants, so including them in your garden increasing the likeliness that more beetles will take residence in your yard.

Green Lacewings

Aphids can cause a lot of damage to a garden. Since they such the sap directly out of plants, it doesn't take long for aphids to do considerable damage.

Green lacewings are helpful because they love to eat aphids. Green lacewing larvae eat so many aphids that they're often called aphid lions. Introducing a few dozen green lacewings to your garden will significantly lower the aphid population. The fewer aphids you have, the better your garden is.

Ladybugs

Ladybugs can also play a key role in eliminating aphids from a garden. Adult ladybugs don't actually eat that much. Their larvae, however, has a voracious appetite for aphids.

Only introduce ladybugs to your garden if you have an aphid problem. Without enough aphids, the larvae may not survive for long.

Praying Mantises

Praying mantises are some of the most beneficial insects you can have in your garden. These twig-like bugs will eat practically any other insect. That means they will consume caterpillars, wasps, aphids, and other insects that you do not want in your garden.

Instead of spraying your garden with insecticide, release a few praying mantises to control the bug population. Praying mantises are typically sold as egg sacks. Place the egg sack in a well protected area of the garden. When it hatches, the praying mantis will start doing its work.

Beneficial insects rarely create problems for homeowners. If you have an infestation, though, you may need a professional to remove them permanently.