20 Most Beneficial Garden Insects You Should Avoid Killing | Useful Insects

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Here are the Most Beneficial Garden Insects You Should Avoid Killing in your garden. If you spot these in your yard, let them be.

Check out our list of the Most Useful and Beneficial Garden Insects You Should Avoid Killing. They help pollinate flowers and also keep other pests at bay.

Find out some Top Gardening Hacks here


Most Useful and Beneficial Garden Insects You Should Avoid Killing

1. Praying Mantis

Most Beneficial Garden Insects

Praying mantis likes to eat grubs, bugs, aphids, grasshoppers, crickets, flies, and other insects, keeping the plants safe in the garden.

2. Bees

Most Beneficial Garden Insects You Should Avoid Killing

Bees are an essential part of the lifecycle of plant growth and are the most important pollinators. While they feed on the nectar of flowers, they pollinate them too.

3. Ladybugs (Ladybird)

best Beneficial Garden Insects

Ladybugs feed on the pests, devouring thousands of harmful insects such as aphids, whiteflies, scales, lice, and other common pests.

Find out the best plants to attract ladybugs to the garden here

4. Butterflies

top Most Beneficial Garden Insects You Should Avoid Killing

Butterflies perch on flowers, feed on nectar, and carry pollen to fertilize others, generating new seeds and fruits, and encouraging the growth of the plants.

Check out the flowers that attract butterflies here

5. Lacewings

Most Beneficial Garden Insects

Lacewings are the number one destroyer of aphids and whiteflies, both in their larval and adult stage. To help lacewings, you must control ants as they try to protect aphids and eat the eggs of lacewings.

6. Dragon Fly

top Beneficial Garden Insects You Should Avoid Killing

These beneficial insects prey on other flying insects and pests, such as mosquitoes, flies, moths, whiteflies, fruit flies, and their larvae.

7. Earthworms

The Most Helpful Garden Insects You Should not Kill

The castings of earthworms provide nutrients to the plants and improve soil porosity. They also aerate the soil and control its pH.

Learn 14 ways to kill Whiteflies here

8. Bumble Bees

Most Helpful Garden Insects You Should not Kill

Bumble bees are large, lovely bee-like hairy pollinators. They pollinate the plants and feed on nectar. Growing fruit trees encourage the bumble bees in the garden.

Learn about attracting bees to the garden here

9. Spiders

Killing Beneficial Garden Insects Is Not Advisable

Spiders are creepy for most of us, but they are one of the most beneficial insects in the garden as they prey on mosquitoes, flies, hoppers, ants, aphids, and many other pests.

10. Ground Beetles

Beneficial Garden Insects

Ground beetles are nocturnal hunters that eat bad bugs, caterpillars, and their eggs that attack your plants.

11. Assassin Bugs

Beneficial Insects in Your Garden That You Should Not Kill
inaturalist-open

These bugs look like a weird combination of a squash bug and a praying mantis. They use their sharp mouth to kill the different harmful pests in the garden.

Wondering how to get rid of stink bugs? Click here

12. Hoverflies

best Beneficial Insects in Your Garden That You Should Not Kill
wikiwand

Hoverflies are helpful flies in the garden as they feed on pollen and are very important for pollination. They can kill caterpillars, beetles, aphids, and thrips.

13. Soldier Beetles

Most Beneficial Garden Insects
jungledragon.com

Soldier Beetles can kill Mexican Bean Beetles, Colorado Potato Beetles, Aphids, and Caterpillars. If you spot them, let them be in the garden.

14. Robber Flies

Beneficial Insects in Your Garden
thehindu.com

Although they may look intimidating, they generally do not attack humans. They can rid your garden of harmful bugs and pests.

15. Tachinid Fly

best Beneficial Insects in Your Garden That You Should Not Kill

It is an active predator of gypsy moth caterpillars, Japanese beetles, squash bugs, grasshoppers, Mexican bean beetles, corn borers, and green stinkbugs.

16. Dragonfly and Damsel Fly

Good Garden Insects You Should not Kill
animals.sandiegozoo.org

These helpful bugs lay their eggs on water features and play a crucial role in keeping mosquitoes away.

Check out the herbs that keep mosquitoes away here

17. Rough Stink Bug

top Good Garden Insects You Should not Kill
gpsm.com

Stink bugs emit a foul odor from their abdominal glands and look like army tanks. These guys prey on aphids, beetle larvae, and caterpillars and are gardeners’ good friends.

18. Big-Eyed Bug

Garden Insects You Should not Kill
sandovalmastergardeners.org

The big-eyed bug is an aggressive good guy that preys on aphids and caterpillars. It is always on the job and the hunt for its next delicious morsel.

19. Aphid Midge

beautiful Good Garden Insects You Should not Kill
wikipedia

Aphid Midge is a voracious feeder of over 50 kinds of aphid species. These small insects can feed on up to 60-70 aphids daily by injecting poison into the joints of their legs.

20. Braconid Wasp

Beneficial Insects in Your Garden That You Should Not Kill
kidadl.com

Braconid wasps can destroy hornworms, squash bugs, tent caterpillars, beetles, aphids, and stink bugs. They are really useful around tomato plants.

Find out the best insect repellent plants here

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Are you trying to tell me that anything from the “third world” is totally bad, I believe this is an educational page and everyone can learn from one another. #itsasmallworld

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