Key Takeaways
Encouraging beneficial insects offers:- Ecosystem Balance: Beneficial insects contribute to a healthy ecosystem by pollinating plants and controlling pests naturally.
- Pest Management: Insects like ladybugs act as natural predators to garden pests, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.
- Attracting Techniques: Providing water sources and planting specific flora can attract beneficial insects, fostering a vibrant lawn ecosystem.
Having a healthy and lush lawn often requires more than focusing on what grass needs to grow. Instead, you have to create a healthy ecosystem in your yard. When conditions are ideal, you will have rich soil and healthy plants. And while there are certainly some insects that can destroy your lawn, many others are beneficial.
These beneficial insects may pollinate plants, eat or destroy harmful pests, or help organic matter decompose and enrichen the soil. All of these factors can lead to a healthier lawn without using pest control products.
Beneficial Insects
While there are many beneficial insects, the examples below show how critical these bugs can be to making your yard and garden healthy and robust.
Bees
There are thousands of native bee species in North America, and they are one of nature’s most important beneficial insects since they are pollinators. They help your plants produce more flowers and fruits. A single bee can pollinate thousands of flowers in one day. Unfortunately, bee populations have experienced large declines in recent years, primarily due to habitat loss. But attracting bees to a healthy and robust lawn is mutually beneficial to both your lawn and the bees. Letting your lawn grow a little longer than usual and spacing out your mowing frequency is a great way to increase bee populations and diversity, which can greatly benefit your years. And if you are scared of their stingers, don’t be. Bees typically only sting if they are being directly threatened. So, as long as you leave them be, they will be far more interested in your plants than you.
Ladybugs
Also called lady beetles, ladybugs are a familiar site in most yards. They are known for their brightly colored reddish appearance, which features black spots. And while ladybugs are cute and harmless, they are predators of many pest insects. Larvae and mature ladybugs can consume up to sixty aphids a day. They also prey on mealybugs, mites, thrips, small caterpillars, and scale insects. In short, ladybugs can be a great ally when it comes to pest management.
These are just a few of the many beneficial insect species that can be part of your integrated pest management and control system. They provide a form of biological control, organically, without the need for pesticides, which can be harmful to beneficial insects, pets, and children.
Attracting Beneficial Insects
Given their many benefits, you may want to strategically attract beneficial insects to your garden or lawn to promote a healthy and abundant ecosystem. You can attract beneficial insects by:
Providing a water source
Like any other animal, beneficial insects need water, preferably in a shallow dish or flower pot. But be wary of changing this water frequently or even making it a running source, such as a fountain. Stagnant water is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitos and other unwanted pests.
Add plants that attract them to your yard
Certain plants attract beneficial insects, such as daisies, lavender, coneflower, butterfly bush, goldenrod, milkweed, catmint, and others.
Growing and maintaining a healthy lawn can be a lot of work. But beneficial insects can be your ally. They can take some of the work out of keeping your lawn healthy simply by doing the things they would normally do! It’s a safe and healthy way to keep harmful pests at bay and support a lawn teeming with life.