8 Beneficial Insects to Know (Plus How to Attract Them to Your Garden)

Flies

Flies, like hoverflies, are key pollinators for crops like strawberries and peppers. They pollinate over 70% of food crops and wildflowers and prey on pests.

Parasitic Wasps

Parasitic wasps protect crops by living on pests like cabbage loopers and tomato hornworms. They pollinate flowers and don t sting or bite humans.

Ladybugs

Ladybugs eat up to 5,000 aphids in their lifetime and also hunt pests like mealybugs and leafhoppers. These cute beetles are tough garden protectors.

Dragonflies

Dragonflies are colorful predators, catching over 90% of their prey, including mosquitoes. They need water to reproduce, so add a water feature to attract them.

Lacewings

Lacewings are delicate-looking but fierce hunters of aphids and mites. They also pollinate flowers while hunting, benefiting your garden in multiple ways.

Spiders

Garden spiders, crab spiders, and wolf spiders catch various pests like grasshoppers and flies. These arachnids aren t aggressive to humans but love pest prey.

Assassin Bugs

Assassin bugs hunt pests like roaches, aphids, and cabbage loopers. Unlike leaf-footed bugs, they hunt alone and help keep your garden pest-free.

Predatory Beetles

Not all beetles are pests. Soldier beetles, ground beetles, and collops beetles prey on slugs, aphids, and leafhoppers, helping control garden pests.