As an organic gardener, your goal is not to eradicate all insects from your garden, but rather to create a natural environment of balance where “good” insects are eating or parasitizing “bad” insects to keep them under control. A great way to do this is to provide plants which attract beneficial insects to your garden.
Common Beneficial Insects and How They Help
Ladybugs, or more technically Lady Beetles, are probably the most easily recognized beneficial insects. They devour aphids.
Lacewings also eat aphids in addition to thrips, mealybugs, scale, moth eggs, smaller caterpillars, and mites.
Trichogramma Wasps are parasitic and lay their eggs in the eggs of garden pests such as cutworms, cabbage loopers, and tomato hornworms. These wasps are tiny and do not sting humans.
Spiders eat insects and help to prevent outbreaks of insects destructive to your garden.
Tachinid Flies help to control gypsy moth, tent caterpillars, Japanese beetles and more. (And, unfortunately, the monarch butterfly).
Beneficial Nematodes are microscopic worms that live in the soil and feed on grubs, maggots and larvae.
Attracting Beneficial Insects to Your Garden
Plants which attract beneficial insects to your garden are known as insectary plants. These plants will attract, shelter, and feed the beneficial insects that you want to attract to your garden.
It’s important to provide plants which bloom at different times so that food is always available. Some favorites include:
- dill
- mint
- lemon balm
- clover
- calendula
- marigold
- sunflower
- zinnia
- alfalfa
- morning glory
- fennel
- chamomile
- comfrey
In addition to providing food, insectary plants provide shelter for your beneficials.
Another consideration when attracting beneficials is to provide a source of water for them. Small garden ponds attract insects, but a bowl filled with pebbles and water will work as well.
Lastly, do not use pesticides in your garden. They not only kill pests but also the beneficial insects that you are trying to attract.
Be sure to see Get Green Be Well’s post How to Make a Pocket Pollinator Garden for tips on starting a garden for pollinators, and Homestead Lady’s post Ground Cover Plants for Pollinators.
What are you planting in your garden this year to attract beneficial insects?
To learn how to build a garden that builds healthy soil, be sure to check out my eBook The Art of Gardening: Building Your Soil. You really can become a better gardener, and you really cangrow healthy, nourishing produce. It’s all about the soil! Click here to buy now.
For further reading:
Good Bug, Bad Bug
The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control
Thank you for visiting Learning And Yearning. May "the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." Num 6:24-26
Small Footprints says
Thank you for this post. I’m trying to grow plants, in containers, which will attract beneficial insects … your post includes the information I need. 🙂 By the way, I found this post via Dude, Sustainable’s Green Living Thursday link-up!
Susan says
Awesome!!!
Suzanne @frugalorganicmama says
Thanks for the comprehensive list of plants that attract beneficial insects. I’m already growing marigolds and sunflowers and didn’t realize that beneficials liked dill and mint as well (lucky me because I already planted those too). Maybe I’ll add some zinnias this weekend. Awesome post.
FrugalOrganicMama.com
Susan says
Thanks, Suzanne!
Lisa Lynn says
A very important part of planning your garden! Thanks for sharing this on The HomeAcre Hop! Hope to see you again today!
http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/06/the-homeacre-hop-24.html
Gretchen says
Great post! I’m going to feature it this week on the Backyard Farming Connection Hop!
Susan says
Thanks, Gretchen!!!
Sue says
Found this post via Food Renegade and am I glad I did. I’ve always planted marigolds in my veggie garden to keep rabbits away. I didn’t realize they attracted beneficial insects. Can’t wait to read more of your blog. I’m a city girl who would rather live in the country and I live vicariously through bloggers like you.
Susan says
Welcome, Sue! I’m glad you found “learning and yearning” as well. There are things you can do no matter where you live, right?
tooth infection says
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tessa says
Susan, this post is wonderful! Thank you for sharing it at Green Thumb Thursday – I know it will inspire anyone who reads it to plant for beneficials!
Anna @ Northern Homestead says
Featured you today at the green thumb Thursday. What a great post, thank you for linking up.
Susan Vinskofski says
Thank you!!!
Samantha @ Runamuk Acres says
You have a really great list of beneficials here–and it’s so important to encourage folks to embrace insects, since they are a keystone organism in any ecosystem. Personally though, I would have rated bees as the more important beneficial in any garden. Here in Maine we have some 270+ species of native bees (and the honeybee is not native to the USA), there are 4000 or so native bee species in America, and 20,000 world-wide. Pollinators like bees, butterflies, beetles, wasps, flies, and even mosquitos are our biggest asset.
But then, I’ve a self-proclaimed pollinator conservationist. lol. Great post, thanks for sharing!
Susan Vinskofski says
Thanks, Samantha. I don’t even know how I missed including bees!!! You are certainly correct.
Tony says
great post Susan,
I just wanted to say don’t forget “milkweed” as a plant that attracts many beneficial insects into the garden, and there are about 30 different milkweed species that can be planted in North America.
Milkweed is, of course, a host plant for monarch caterpillars, but many varieties are also nectar flowers for monarch butterflies and many other butterfly species. Many species are also attractive to bees and even hummingbirds!
This year, some of our swamp milkweed started to get aphids and that brought more ladybugs and lacewings into the garden.
Support monarchs and much, much, more by planting milkweed!
Susan Vinskofski says
YES! How could I leave out milkweed!
Shari says
Are you aware of any pollinator plants that the bunnies won’t eat? We always try to plant some of the ones you have listed in this article but they get decimated in short order! It is very frustrating. Thank you in advance for whatever info you might provide!
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Shari, I’m sorry I don’t know any specific plants that rabbits don’t like. We have found that the best way to deal with rabbits is to provide something they prefer. Our lawn is covered in clover and the rabbits much prefer that to any other plant in our garden and so leave it alone.