How to Attract Beneficial Insects to Your Garden: A Guide

Insects are often viewed as pests, causing damage to crops and plants, but did you know that there are beneficial insects that play an essential role in food production? Over 90% of animal life on planet Earth are insects, and some of them are critical for pollination, making fertilizer, and even getting rid of unwanted pests. In this blog, we will cover the top 5 beneficial insects you must have in your garden.

1. Ladybugs

   Ladybugs are natural predators of unwanted pests and bugs in the garden. They can feed on 50 different unwanted pests, including aphids, mealy bugs, and scale bugs. Ladybugs can live for about one year, and one ladybug can eat up to 5,000 aphids in its lifetime. Ladybugs vary in color, and their spots are a warning sign for other predatory insects and birds to keep their distance. You can even buy ladybugs from a hardware store to add to your garden. Ladybugs also feed on pollen from flowers, so plant a lot of flowers to attract them to your garden.

2. Lace Wings

   Lace wings are another predatory insect that helps to get rid of pests and bugs from the garden, including aphids, spider mites, and flies. Lace wings have clear, lace-like wings, which is the reason for their name. Lace wings live as a larva for three weeks and as an adult for six weeks and can eat up to 200 aphids per week. You can get rid of these insects using pesticides, but organic gardening is recommended to avoid ingesting pesticides and contaminating the water supply.

3. Spiders

   Spiders can be scary and sometimes harmful to humans, but many garden spider species are harmless and very beneficial in gardens. Spiders get rid of aphids, caterpillars, beetles, and create webs to catch fruit flies, common flies, beetles, and other flying insects that harm our plants. Spiders can also occasionally catch some beneficial insects in their webs, but their benefits usually outweigh the downsides.

4. Earthworms

   Earthworms turn dead leaves and organic matter into nutrient-rich worm castings, making them essential for organic gardening. Earthworms can eat half their body weight in food in one day, and ten pounds of earthworms can create five pounds of worm castings in one day. Worm castings contain live enzymes and nutrients much needed by plants and are very valuable in organic gardening.

5. Honey Bees

   Bees are probably the most important insects for food production and the survival of the human species. One third of the world's food production depends on pollination by bees. Almonds, cherries, oranges, and hundreds of other species of plants and trees will not be able to pollinate and reproduce without bees. Bees go flower to flower to pollinate and collect nectar, and one hive can produce an average of 70 pounds or 30 kilograms of honey in one year and in doing so pollinate over 140 million flowers.

In conclusion, insects play a significant role in our ecosystem, and we must learn to appreciate their importance in food production. By understanding the benefits of beneficial insects and incorporating them into our gardening practices, we can create a more sustainable and healthy environment for ourselves and future generations. We must do everything we can to protect beneficial insects, such as honey bees, from excessive use of pesticides and ensure their survival. So, let's join the force to save the bees and protect our future.

As you embark on encorporating organic ways to control pests here are some helpful items we use at Daisy Creek Farms to maintain an organic environment.

Follow the links to take you directly to the items on Amazon!