Believe it or not, creepy crawlies can actually be a blessing. Some of them help you pollinate flowers, while others enjoy killing insects and other harmful garden and yard pests. Here are some of the most beneficial and useful garden insects to avoid killing.
The Holy Praying Mantis
A praying mantis in your garden is a rare find. It is a predator, despite its unusual and refined appearance. A fast-killing insect that can’t be compared to anything else. It has the ability to eliminate pesky garden pests in an instant. Grubs, bugs, aphids, grasshoppers, crickets, flies, and other insects are all favorites of the praying mantis.
Ground Beetles — An Important Soldier
Ground beetles are nocturnal hunters who eat bad bugs, caterpillars, and other insects that attack your plants, as well as their eggs. They can be found in dark, covered areas, under debris and leaf litter, in manure, or in the compost pile. If you come across one, don’t kill it.
Ethereal Lacewings
Lacewings are beneficial insects that can keep pests out of your garden. They are the most effective predator of aphids and whiteflies in both larval and adult stages. Female lacewings lay their eggs in whitefly and aphid larvae, which start eating them as soon as they hatch. They are vicious predators with a voracious appetite. To help lacewings thrive, you must manage the ants, yes ants — who eat lacewing eggs.
Vital but Slimy Earthworms
It is unnecessary to point out that they are among the most beneficial insects. These worms’ castings provide nutrients to plants, as well as aerate and control the pH of the soil.
Everyone’s Favorite — The Ladybug
Whatever you call this colorful tiny insect—the ladybug, lady beetle, or ladybird, it has a voracious appetite. Ladybugs eat pests, consuming thousands of harmful insects such as aphids, whiteflies, scale insects, lice, and other common pests that harm your plants’ health.
