Beneficial Insects & How to Attract Them

The world of bugs and insects is vast. So vast that I couldn't name all of them. But trust me, you will get to know a few of them once you start gardening. So to save you Googling 'What is this?!' or 'Help, something is eating my brassicas!' I thought I would pop a list together of what you can expect and how to invite beneficial insects into your space. I will do another list on common garden pests and how to spot them another day.

Beneficial Insects

Hoverflies

You may have seen a hoverfly before and mistaken it for a wasp. They are often much smaller, do not sting and can fly at around 40 km per hour. The adult feeds on pollen and nectar and gives birth to the best predators around. If you want to get rid of aphids, invite hoverflies into your garden. They are prolific pollinators and do so much good.

Plants that attract them: yarrow, dill, cosmos. mallow, poached egg plant, lemon balm, marigold, alyssum.

Ladybirds

Ladybirds are actually beetles. They are carnivores that feed on aphids, black fly and red spider mites. People are so desperate to introduce them into their garden, that they order boxes of them by post. Last year, the price of ladybirds sky rocketed. Ladybirds lay hundreds of eggs in the middle of aphid colonies and when they hatch, the larvae can eat upto 5,000 aphids. Something you'd want in your garden right?

Plants that attract them: fennel, yarrow, alyssum, tansy, caraway, calendula, coriander, dill, angelica, chives.

Parasitic Wasps

I still remember my horticulture tutor showing us a video of these, scary. They don't sting, but they do lay their eggs on other insects and bugs. The bugs then hatch and eat the insect from the inside out. They are vast in america and tend to lay their eggs on something called a hornworm, look it up, it's fascinating. Alas, as much as their life cycle is a bit gruesome, they are highly valuable. They kill vast numbers of garden pests, from brassica eating caterpillars, sawflies, aphids and ants.

Plants that attract them: dill, mallow, cosmos, lobelia, alyssum, marigold, yarrow, cinquefoil.

Lacewings

Lacewings are very common and can be recognised by their transparent lace-like wings. They are voracious eater of aphids and insect eggs. I won't explain what happens when they eat them, it's super gross. Alas, a great addition to your garden. Extremely pretty too!

Plants that attract them: dandelion, cosmos, fennel, coriander, yarrow, dill, angelica.

Solitary Bees

Everyone always thinks that you should attract honey bees to your garden, but a high number of them means that wild bees suffer. They compete for pollen and nectar, which is fine if you have vast amounts of flowers. But if you only have a small space, solitary bees are better. There are over 200 species of solitary bee in Britain and they are hugely beneficial insects.

Plants to attract them: lavender, fuschia, marjoram, catmint, viburnum, allium, bergamot, foxgloves, globe artichoke.

Butterflies & Moths

Although butterflies and moths birth some of the biggest plant munchers around (caterpillars), they are extremely great to have in the garden. They are beautiful and busy pollinators and there are over 2500 species in Britain. If we didn't have them, we wouldn't attract one of their biggest preys...birds. Birds eat millions of caterpillars each year, which we want.

Plants to attract butterflies: buddleia, marjoram, verbena, perennial wallflower.

Plants to attract moths: jasmine, honeysuckle, night scented stock, sweet rocket, evening primrose.

Ground Beetles

Ever moved a pot and a beetle has crawled out? That's because these nocturnal predators like the shade. They eat a heap of slugs and snails by spraying them with a substance that makes them more liquid. Gross right? Makes me think of I'm a Celebrity milkshakes. You really want them in your garden as organic pest control.

How to attract them: pile up leaves, stacked logs, stones or wood on your lawn, water. Plant ground cover like clover to provide shade.