We all want to see butterflies and bumblebees in the garden – but did you know that some of those less-than-beautiful bugs might be helping your plants thrive? Can you identify a lacewing – and, more importantly, can you attract them to your garden?
One of our favorite gardening associations put out this list of beneficial insects – check it out here. A few highlights:
- Syrphid flies, also called sweat bees or flower flies, eat up damaging aphids as larvae and serve as excellent pollinators as adults. Their absolute favorite flower? Sweet alyssum.
- Everyone knows that bumblebees are great pollinators. A surefire way to keep them in the garden – have a mix of perennials that bloom all season long.
- While parasitic wasps don’t have a particularly friendly-sounding name, they kill off tomato hornworms and other harmful bugs. Members of the carrot family (including carrots, cilantro, dill and parsley) as well as asters, sunflowers and daisies, are great lures for these animals.
- Lacewings help control a number of different insects, and are particularly effective in the fight against aphids! They also appreciate plants in the carrot and sunflower families, and they love any plants with open access to nectar.
- Ladybugs also have a great appetite for aphids. Add them to your garden, and keep them around by providing a floral habitat for them to thrive.
- Tachinid flies are effective against a number of pests, including Japanese beetles, squash bugs, sawfly larvae, and many types of caterpillars. Attract them in the same way as you would parasitic wasps, with a diverse planting of flowers and herbs.