Beneficial Insects: How These Tiny Creatures Can Transform Your Garden

Your garden is bursting with life! 

Blooming flowers, wriggling worms, and ripening vegetables are all signs of a healthy thriving garden.  

But don’t forget about the bugs!  

There are dozens of different kinds of insects that are good for your garden. 

But which insects are good for your garden, and which need to go? 

You will find many insects in your garden this summer, this guide will tell you which insects will help your garden life.  

Keep reading to learn more about the tiny creatures that help your garden bloom.  

These Insects Will Appear in Healthy Gardens This Summer 

There is nothing better than sitting back after all your hard work and watching your garden bloom.  

If these insects are present in your plants and foliage, then they are helping your garden to thrive.  

Green Lacewing 

About a ½ inch long and sporting delicate, transparent wings, green lacewings are great for your garden.  

Green lacewing larvae feed on aphids, mites, and small insects. As adults, they feed on nectar, pollen, and honeydew.  

When green lacewings are around, your plants will be well protected from pests, and your garden will have a healthier ecosystem. 

Honeybees 

These social insects are key for pollination in any healthy garden.  

Worker bees spend their days collecting pollen and nectar from flowers and processing it into honey.  

Honeybees are good for your garden, but they are also good for the wider ecosystem.  

You can support honeybees by planting diverse flowering plants and avoiding harsh pesticides.  

When you help honeybees, honeybees help your garden. 

Ground Beetles 

They may be creepy-crawlies, but ground beetles are tremendous at controlling pests in your garden.  

Not only that, but ground beetles also help with maintaining soil health by aerating your soil. 

Be sure to include moist, shady areas for ground beetles to breed and hide. Also, minimizing the use of pesticides helps encourage a healthy ecosystem and promotes ground beetle populations. 

Hoverflies 

Even though they might look like a wasp or a bee, hoverflies do not sting and are gentle insects.  

Important for controlling pests and pollinating flowering plants, hoverfly larvae eat aphids, mites, and other soft-bodied insects.  As adults, they eat nectar and pollen to ensure your flowers bloom and thrive.  

Praying Mantises 

A sign of good luck in many cultures, praying mantises are large predators primarily concerned with eating other insects that harm your garden.  

They are ambush predators and they feed on flies, caterpillars, and grasshoppers.  

Praying mantises reduce the need for pesticides, making for healthy and thriving gardens with fewer chemicals.  

Spiders 

Arachnophobia no more! Spiders are great for your garden. 

While these creatures are arachnids, not insects, they are still great for your garden ecosystem.  

Spiders are predators that eat smaller pests, and they serve as food for larger predators.  

Lacy spider webs can do wonders to cut down on the population of meddlesome flies and other harmful bugs.  

Be sure to have fresh water and plenty of vegetation to attract spiders to your garden. 

Your Summer Garden Plans Start at Knollwood Garden Center 

Making the perfect summer garden isn’t easy. It starts with a plan, the right supplies, and plenty of expertise.  

You supply the plan, and Knollwood Garden Center will cover the rest! We proudly serve gardeners in Dayton, Beavercreek, Kettering, Centerville, Fairborn, and beyond. 

How do you plan your garden this summer? Here’s your quick guide. 

Stop by Knollwood Garden Center today to get everything you need for your garden this summer. From plants, seeds, and flowers to decorations and supplies, Knollwood Garden Center is your one-stop destination for all your garden needs. 

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