Beneficial Insects

From Antivist

A garden insectary is a small garden plot of flowering plants designed to attract and harbor beneficial insects. These "good insects" prey on many common garden insect pests and offer the gardener a safer, natural alternative to pesticides.

The garden insectary is a form of "companion planting," based on the positive attributes plants can share in deterring pests, acquiring nutrients, or attracting natural predators. By becoming more diverse with your plantings, you're providing habitat, picture of predatory wasp shelter, and alternative food sources (such as pollen and nectar), something many predators need as part of their diet.

Your insectary plot does not have to be large, just big enough to hold six to seven varieties of plants that attract insects. Once the garden has matured, you can watch your personal security force of beneficial insects do the work for you.

Contents 1 Natural Pest Control by Insect Species 2 What to Plant to Attract Beneficial Insects (Predator Insects) 3 Tips and Suggestions for Your Garden Insectary 4 General Gardening Advice for Attracting Bees and Other Pollinators 5 Perennial Flowers and Herbs 6 Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects 7 Plants That Attract Butterflies 7.1 Nectar-Rich Herbs for Butterflies 7.2 Herbs That Feed Caterpillars 8 Plants That Attract Bees 8.1 Native Trees and Shrubs 8.2 Native Wildflowers 8.3 Herbs

Natural Pest Control by Insect Species

Pest Insect	Predator Insect
Aphids	Aphidius
Aphids	Aphidoletes
Thrips, spidermites, fungus gnats	Beneficial mites
Eggs of many pest insects	Damsel bugs (Nabidae)
Whiteflies, aphids, thrip, spider mites	Dicyphus
Slugs, small caterpillars and grubs	Ground beetles
Grubs	Spring Tiphia wasp
Aphids, mealybugs and others	Hoverflies
Scale, aphids, mites, soft-bodied insects	Lacewings
Aphids, mites	Ladybugs
Thrips, aphids, mites, scales, whiteflies	Pirate bugs
Caterpillars; beetle and fly larvae	Tachinid flies
Whiteflies; moth, beetle and fly larvae	Parasitic wasps

What to Plant to Attract Beneficial Insects (Predator Insects)

Predator Insect	What to Plant (Insectary Plant)
Lacewings, aphidius, ladybugs	Achillea filipendulina
Hoverflies	Alyssum
Ground beetles	Amaranthus
Spring Tiphia wasp	Peonies, firethorn, forsythia
Ichneumon wasp, ladybugs, lacewings	Anethum graveolens (dill)
Lacewings	Angelica gigas
Ladybugs, hoverflies	Convolvulus minor
Hoverflies, parasitic wasps, lacewings	Cosmos bipinnatus
Dicyphus	Digitalis
Lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies	Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)
Damsel bugs, ladybugs, lacewings	Foeniculum vulgare (fennel)
Pirate bugs, beneficial mites	Helianthus annulus
Hoverflies	Iberis umbellata
Hoverflies, parasitic wasps	Limonium latifolium (Statice)
Aphidius, aphidoletes, hoverflies	Lupin
Parasitic wasps, tachinid flies	Melissa officinalis (lemon balm)
Parasitic wasps, hoverflies, tachinid flies	Petroselinum crispum (parsley)
Pirate bugs, beneficial mites	Shasta daisy
Pirate bugs, aphidius	Sunflowers
Ladybugs, lacewings	Tanacetum vulgare (tansy)
Dicyphus	Verbascum thaspus

Tips and Suggestions for Your Garden Insectary

1. Intersperse vegetable beds with rows or islands of insectary annuals. This will add decorative elements to your vegetable beds while luring beneficial insects toward prey.
2. Allow some of your salad and cabbage crops to bloom. Brassica flowers (cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy) are also appreciated.
3. Include plants of different heights in your insectary. Ground beetles require the cover provided by low-growing plants such as thyme, rosemary, or mint. Lacewings lay their eggs in shady, protected areas, so providing such places near crop plants is a good idea.
4. Tiny flowers produced in large quantity are much more valuable than a single, large bloom. Large, nectar-filled blooms actually can drown tiny parasitoid wasps.
5. Members of the Umbelliferae family are excellent insectary plants. Fennel, angelica, coriander, dill, and wild carrot all produce the tiny flowers required by parasitoid wasps.
6. Composite flowers (daisy and chamomile) and mints (spearmint, peppermint, or catnip) will attract predatory wasps, hover flies, and robber flies.

General Gardening Advice for Attracting Bees and Other Pollinators

1. Don’t use pesticides. Most pesticides are not selective. You are killing off the beneficial bugs along with the pests. If you must use a pesticide, start with the least toxic one and follow the label instructions to the letter.
2. Use local native plants. Research suggests native plants are four times more attractive to native bees than exotic flowers. They are also usually well adapted to your growing conditions and can thrive with minimum attention. In gardens, heirloom varieties of herbs and perennials can also provide good foraging.
3. Chose several colors of flowers. Bees have good color vision to help them find flowers and the nectar and pollen they offer. Flower colors that particularly attract bees are blue, purple, violet, white, and yellow.
4. Plant flowers in clumps. Flowers clustered into clumps of one species will attract more pollinators than individual plants scattered through the habitat patch. Where space allows, make the clumps four feet or more in diameter.
5. Include flowers of different shapes. There are four thousand different species of bees in North America, and they are all different sizes, have different tongue lengths, and will feed on different shaped flowers. Consequently, providing a range of flower shapes means more bees can benefit.
6. Have a diversity of plants flowering all season. Most bee species are generalists, feeding on a range of plants through their life cycle. By having several plant species flowering at once, and a sequence of plants flowering through spring, summer, and fall, you can support a range of bee species that fly at different times of the season.
7. Plant where bees will visit. Bees favor sunny spots over shade and need some shelter from strong winds.

Perennial Flowers and Herbs

Common Name	Scientific Name	Attracts
Anise Hyssop	Agastache foeniculum	Bees, butterflies and beneficial insects
Basket of Gold	Alyssum montanum, Alyssum saxatile	Ladybugs and hoverflies
Bronze Fennel	Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpureum	lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies, parasitic mini-wasps and butterflies
Buckwheat	Eriogonum	pirate bugs.
Catnip	Nepeta	bees, butterflies and beneficial insect
Chives	Allium schoenoprasum	bees and butterflies like crazy
Common Fennel	Foeniculum vulgare	ladybugs, lacewings, paper wasps and soldier bugs.
Coreopsis	Coreopsis sp.	parasitoid wasps, ladybugs and lacewings.
Crown Pink	Lychnis coronaria	parasitoid wasps.
Dame's Rocket	Hesperis matronalis	Bees and butterflies.
Garlic Chives	Allium tuberosum	bees and beneficial insects
Golden Marguerite	Anthemis tinctoria	Lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies, tachinid flies and parasitic mini-wasps.
Lavender 'Lady'	Lavandula angustifolia	hoverflies and bees
Lemon Balm	Melissa officinalis	Hoverflies, tachinid flies and parasitic mini-wasps.
Lemon Bee Balm	Monarda citriodora	Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
Parsley	Petroselinum crispum	hoverflies, tachinid flies and parasitic wasps
Purple Coneflower	Echinacea purpurea	Bees and butterflies.
Red Valerian	Centranthus ruber	butterflies and beneficial insects
Rocky Mountain Penstemon	Penstemon strictus	ladybugs, hoverflies, hummingbirds and bees.
Rue	Ruta graveolens	parasitoid wasps and potter wasps.
Sage	Salvia sp.	bees and butterflies, and some species attract hummingbirds.
Speedwell	Veronica spicata	ladybugs and hoverflies.
Tansy	Tanacetum vulgare	parasitoid wasps, ladybugs, lacewings and pirate bugs.
Thyme	Thymus sp.	bees, hoverflies, tachinid flies and parasitic mini-wasps.
Violet	Viola
Yarrow	Achillia sp.	ladybugs, hoverflies and parasitic mini-wasps.

Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects

LACEWINGS (Chrysopa spp.)

Beautiful little green or brown insects with large lacy wings. Individual white eggs are found laid on the ends of inch-long stiff threads. It is the larvae (which look like little alligators) that destroy most of the pests. They are sometimes called aphid lions for their habit of dining on aphids. They also feed on mites, other small insects and insect eggs.

The lacewing, which is also attracted to well-lit windows and screens on spring and summer evenings.

Plants that attract lacewings:

Achillea filipendulina Fern-leaf yarrow

Anethum graveolens Dill

Angelica gigas Angelica

Anthemis tinctoria Golden marguerite

Atriplex canescens Four-wing saltbush

Callirhoe involucrata Purple poppy mallow

Carum Carvi Caraway

Coriandrum sativum Coriander

Cosmos bipinnatus Cosmos white sensation

Daucus Carota Queen Anne's lace

Foeniculum vulgare Fennel

Helianthus maximilianii Prairie sunflower

Tanacetum vulgare Tansy

Taraxacum officinale Dandelion

LADYBUGS

Recognized when they are adults by most gardeners. However, the young larvae, black with orange markings, eat more pests than the adults, and they can't fly. Yellowish eggs are laid in clusters usually on the undersides of leaves.

Plants that attract ladybugs:

Achillea filipendulina Fern-leaf yarrow

Achillea millefolium Common yarrow

Ajuga reptans Carpet bugleweed

Alyssum saxatilis Basket of Gold

Anethum graveolens Dill

Anthemis tinctoria Golden marguerite

Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly weed

Atriplex canescens Four-wing saltbush

Coriandrum sativum Coriander

Daucus Carota Queen Anne's lace

Fagopyrum esculentum Buckwheat

Foeniculum vulgare Fennel

Helianthus maximilianii Prairie sunflower

Penstemon strictus Rocky Mt. penstemon

Potentilla recta 'warrenii' Sulfur cinquefoil

Potentilla villosa Alpine cinquefoil

Tagetes tenuifolia Marigold - lemon gem

Tanacetum vulgare Tansy

Taraxacum officinale Dandelion

Veronica spicata Spike speedwell

Vicia villosa Hairy vetch

HOVERFLIES

Also known as syrphid fly, hover fly or flower fly. Adults look like little bees that hover over and dart quickly away. They don't sting! They lay eggs (white, oval, laid singly or in groups on leaves) which hatch into green, yellow, brown, orange, or white half-inch maggots that look like caterpillars. They raise up on their hind legs to catch and feed on aphids, mealybugs and others.

Plants that attract hoverflies:

Achillea filipendulina Fern-leaf yarrow

Achillea millefolium Common yarrow

Ajuga reptans Carpet bugleweed

Allium tanguticum Lavender globe lily

Alyssum saxatilis Basket of Gold

Anethum graveolens Dill

Anthemis tinctoria Golden marguerite

Aster alpinus Dwarf alpine aster

Astrantia major Masterwort

Atriplex canescens Four-wing saltbush

Callirhoe involucrata Purple poppy mallow

Carum Carvi Caraway

Chrysanthemum parthenium Feverfew

Coriandrum sativum Coriander

Cosmos bipinnatus Cosmos white sensation

Daucus Carota Queen Anne's lace

Fagopyrum esculentum Buckwheat

Foeniculum vulgare Fennel

Lavandula angustifolia English lavender

Limnanthes douglasii Poached egg plant

Limonium latifolium Statice

Linaria vulgaris Butter and eggs

Lobelia erinus Edging lobelia

Lobularia maritima Sweet alyssum - white

Melissa officinalis Lemon balm

Mentha pulegium Pennyroyal

Mentha spicata Spearmint

Monarda fistulosa Wild bergamot

Penstemon strictus Rocky Mt. penstemon

Petroselinum crispum Parsley

Potentilla recta 'warrenii' Sulfur cinquefoil

Potentilla villosa Alpine cinquefoil

Rudbeckia fulgida Gloriosa daisy

Sedum kamtschaticum Orange stonecrop

Sedum spurium & album Stonecrops

Solidago virgaurea Peter Pan goldenrod

Stachys officinalis Wood betony

Tagetes tenuifolia Marigold - lemon gem

Thymus serpylum coccineus Crimson thyme

Veronica spicata Spike speedwell

Zinnia elegans Zinnia - liliput

PARASITIC MINI-WASPS

Parasites of a variety of insects. They do not sting! The stingers have been adapted to allow the females to lay their eggs in the bodies of insect pests. The eggs then hatch, and the young feed on the pests from the inside, killing them. After they have killed the pests, they leave hollow "mummies."

Braconid wasps feed on moth, beetle and fly larvae, moth eggs, various insect pupae and adults. If you see lots of white capsules on the backs of a caterpillar, these are the braconid cocoons--leave the dying caterpillar alone!

Ichneumonid wasps control moth, butterfly, beetle and fly larvae and pupae. Trichogramma wasps lay their eggs in the eggs of moths (hungry caterpillars-to-be), killing them and turning them black.

The black dot in the middle of the picture is an emerging encarsia wasp, which is hatching out of an immature stage of a (now dead) whitefly. The wasp lays its eggs onto young whiteflies.

Plants that attract parasitic mini-wasps:

Achillea filipendulina Fern-leaf yarrow

Achillea millefolium Common yarrow

Allium tanguticum Lavender globe lily

Anethum graveolens Dill

Anthemis tinctoria Golden marguerite

Astrantia major Masterwort

Callirhoe involucrata Purple poppy mallow

Carum Carvi Caraway

Coriandrum sativum Coriander

Cosmos bipinnatus Cosmos white sensation

Daucus Carota Queen Anne's lace

Foeniculum vulgare Fennel

Limonium latifolium Statice

Linaria vulgaris Butter and eggs

Lobelia erinus Edging lobelia

Lobularia maritima Sweet alyssum - white

Melissa officinalis Lemon balm

Mentha pulegium Pennyroyal

Petroselinum crispum Parsley

Potentilla recta 'warrenii' Sulfur cinquefoil

Potentilla villosa Alpine cinquefoil

Sedum kamtschaticum Orange stonecrop

Tagetes tenuifolia Marigold - lemon gem

Tanacetum vulgare Tansy

Thymus serpylum coccineus Crimson thyme

Zinnia elegans Zinnia - liliput

TACHINID FLIES

Parasites of caterpillars (corn earworm, imported cabbage worm, cabbage looper, cutworms, armyworms), stink bug, squash bug nymphs, beetle and fly larvae, some true bugs, and beetles. Adults are 1/3 to 1/2 inch long. White eggs are deposited on foliage or on the body of the host (in the picture below, the tachinid fly is approaching the larvae of an elm leaf beetle). Larvae are internal parasites, feeding within the body of the host, sucking its body fluids to the point the pest dies.

Plants that attract tachinid flies:

Anthemis tinctoria Golden marguerite

Fagopyrum esculentum Buckwheat

Melissa officinalis Lemon balm

Mentha pulegium Pennyroyal

Petroselinum crispum Parsley

Phacelia tanacetifolia Phacelia

Tanacetum vulgare Tansy

Thymus serpyllum coccineus Crimson thyme

MINUTE PIRATE BUGS (Orius spp.)

Tiny (1/20 inch long) bugs that feed on almost any small insect or mite, including thrips, aphids, mites, scales, whiteflies and soft-bodied arthropods, but are particularly attracted to thrips in spring.

DAMSEL BUGS (Nabis spp.)

Feed on aphids, leafhoppers, plant bugs, and even small caterpillars as adults and nymphs (teenagers). They are usually dull brown and resemble other plant bugs that are pests. Their heads are usually longer and narrower then most plant feeding species (the better to eat with).

BIG EYED BUGS (Geocoris spp.)

Small (1/4 inch long), grayish-beige, oval shaped) bugs with large eyes that feed on many small insects (e.g., leaf hoppers, spider mites), insect eggs, and mites, as both nymphs and adults. Eggs are football shaped, whitish-gray with red spots.

Plants that attract minute pirate bugs, damsel bugs and big eyed bugs:

Carum Carvi Caraway

Cosmos bipinnatus Cosmos - white sensation

Foeniculum vulgare Fennel

Medicago sativa Alfalfa

Mentha spicata Spearmint

Solidago virgaurea Peter Pan goldenrod

Tagetes tenuifolia Marigold - lemon gem

Beneficial insects are insects that are predators of pest insects, also, pollinators, such as bees, that are an integral part of the growth cycle of many crops. Certain plants will attract these insects by providing food, shelter, or both.

Predator Insect	What to Plant (Insectary Plant)
Lacewings, aphidius, ladybugs	Achillea filipendulina
Hoverflies	Alyssum
Ground beetles	Amaranthus
Spring Tiphia wasp	Peonies, firethorn, forsythia
Ichneumon wasp, ladybugs, lacewings	Anethum graveolens (dill)
Lacewings	Angelica gigas
Ladybugs, hoverflies	Convolvulus minor
Hoverflies, parasitic wasps, lacewings	Cosmos bipinnatus
Dicyphus	Digitalis
Lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies	Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)
Damsel bugs, ladybugs, lacewings	Foeniculum vulgare (fennel)
Pirate bugs, beneficial mites	Helianthus annulus
Hoverflies	Iberis umbellata
Hoverflies, parasitic wasps	Limonium latifolium (Statice)
Aphidius, aphidoletes, hoverflies	Lupin
Parasitic wasps, tachinid flies	Melissa officinalis (lemon balm)
Parasitic wasps, hoverflies, tachinid flies	Petroselinum crispum (parsley)
Pirate bugs, beneficial mites	Shasta daisy
Pirate bugs, aphidius	Sunflowers
Ladybugs, lacewings	Tanacetum vulgare (tansy)
Dicyphus	Verbascum thaspus

Plants That Attract Butterflies

Nectar-Rich Herbs for Butterflies

• Agastache foeniculum, Anise hyssop
• Echinacea, species Coneflowers
• Hyssopus officinalis, Hyssop
• Inula helenium, Elecampane
• Lavandula species and hybrids, Lavenders
• Mentha species and hybrids, Mints
• Monarda species, Bee balms
• Ocimum basilicum, Basil
• Origanum vulgare, Oregano, wild marjoram
• Pycnanthemum, species Mountain mints
• Rosmarinus officinalis, Rosemary
• Salvia species, Sages
• Satureja hortensis, Summer savory
• Taraxacum officinale, Dandelion
• Thymus species and hybrids, Thymes
• Tropaeolum majus, Nasturtium

Herbs That Feed Caterpillars

• Anethum graveolens, Dill — Black Swallowtail, Anise Swallowtail
• Artemisia dracunculus, Russian tarragon — Swallowtails
• Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly weed — Monarch
• Dictamnus albus, Burning bush — Giant Swallowtail
• Foeniculum vulgare, Fennel — Anise Swallowtail
• Glycyrrhiza species, Licorice — Silver-Spotted Skipper
• Humulus lupulus, Hops — Gray Hairstreak, Question Mark, Red Admiral
• Levisticum officinale, Lovage — Black Swallowtail, Anise Swallowtail
• Petroselinum crispum, Parsley — Black Swallowtail, Anise Swallowtail
• Pimpinella anisum, Anise — Black Swallowtail, Anise Swallowtail
• Populus balsamifera, Balsam poplar — White Admiral, Viceroy, Western Tiger Swallowtail
• Rumex acetosella, Sheep sorrel — Little Copper
• Ruta graveolens, Rue — Black Swallowtail, Giant Swallowtail
• Tropaeolum majus, Nasturtium — Cabbage White
• Urtica dioica, Nettle — Milbert's Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral
• Viburnum lentago, Nannyberry — Spring Azure
• Viola odorata, Sweet violet — Fritillaries

Plants That Attract Bees

Native Trees and Shrubs

• Blueberries (Vaccinium species)
• California lilac (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus)
• Desert willow (Chilopsis linearis)
• Dogwood (Cornus florida)
• Huckleberry (Gaylussacia buccata)
• Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos species)
• Rhododendrons (Rhododendron species)
• Viburnums (Viburnum dentatum, V. cassinoides, V. lentago)
• Willows (Salix species)
• Wolfberries (Lycium species)
• Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
• Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
• Sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia)

Native Wildflowers

• Columbines (Aquilegia species)
• Lupines (Lupinus species)
• Milkweeds (Asclepias species)
• Penstemons (Penstemon species)
• Phacelias (Phacelia species)
• Shooting stars (Dodecatheon species)
• Violets (Viola species)
• Virginia bluebells (Mertensia pulmonarioides)
• Yellow bells (Tecoma stans)
• Blazing stars (Liatris species)
• Buckwheats (Eriogonum species)
• Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri)
• Great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
• Indigo bush (Dalea species)
• Joe pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum)
• Mints, blue- and white-flowered (Salvia azurea, S. clevelandii, S. farinacea)
• Monkshood (Aconitum species)
• Sunflowers (Helianthus species)
• Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
• Asters (Aster species)
• Goldenrods (Solidago species)

Herbs

• Borage (Borago officianalis)
• Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
• Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
• Oregano (Origanum x majoricum)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalus)
• Thymes (Thymus species)
• Lavenders (Lavandula species)