You might be shocked to find that just approximately a tenth of these insects that live in the typical garden is harmful. In fact, most are either beneficial or harmless. Natural enemies of pests like parasitoids and predators, which are crucial in the control of pest damage to crops are examples of beneficial insects.
There are three main categories of beneficial insects:
Pollinators: Bees, butterflies, flies, and moths are just a few of the creatures we rely on to pollinate the flowers in our garden.
Predators: By consuming pests, these insects get rid of them this group includes organisms including ladybugs, praying mantids, and green lacewing.
Parasitizers: Like predators, parasitizers also prey upon other insects, but in a slightly different way. When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the host insects. They deposit their eggs on or within the undesirable bugs. The primary species in this group are parasitic wasps.
Here are a few beneficial insects:
Ladybugs
Ladybugs are vicious predators, despite their adorable name and look! They begin life as larvae cruising about on plants and eating on aphids, before developing their bright red coloration.
Green Lacewings
Green lacewing adults consume pollen and nectar, while their larvae, which resemble a cross between an alligator and a slug, feed on pests with soft bodies like caterpillars and aphids.
Praying Mantis
Any grasshoppers that are bothering you will be quickly dispatched by a praying mantis; these ferocious predators will also hunt many other insect pests that plague gardens, such as moths, beetles, and flies. But keep in mind that praying mantids are vicious predators that will also eat other beneficial like butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, etc
Spiders
Spiders are incredibly excellent pest controllers but are frequently disregarded as helpful. They consume a lot of live insects because movement draws them to their prey. Jumping spiders and wolf spiders are especially good at keeping pests under control.
Ground Beetles
A vast group of predatory beetles known as "ground beetles" is advantageous for both adults and larvae. They will consume a variety of insects, such as silverfish, nematodes, caterpillars, thrips, and weevils. Don't squash every bug you see, it's important to keep pests like Japanese beetles in the garden.
Soldier Beetles
Soldier beetles are a significant predator of aphids, caterpillars, Colorado potato beetles, and Mexican bean beetles. Like many beneficial insects, they are drawn to plants with complex flowers like yarrow and Queen Anne's lace.
Assassin Bugs
Assassin bugs resemble an odd cross between a praying mantis and a squash bug in appearance. They hunt a variety of insect pests in the garden using their pointed mouthparts. Look carefully before you squash something since, they can be mistaken for squash bugs in their mature state!
Robber Flies
We are grateful to have robber flies on our side since they are bug-eating machines with extra-long legs. Despite their fearsome appearance, unlike horseflies, they do not assault people (although they are capable of biting when threatened). They target a variety of typical garden pests instead.
Hoverflies
The hoverfly, another beneficial fly to have in your garden, resembles a little yellowjacket without a stinger. They are very useful pollinators and eat pollen and nectar. Their larvae are ferocious predators that consume the fluid from their prey to kill aphids, caterpillars, beetles, and thrips.
