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 |
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
- 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.
- Allow some of your salad and cabbage crops to bloom. Brassica flowers (cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy) are also appreciated.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) -- Edible, licorice-flavored leaves for tea. Spikes of blue flowers attract bees, butterflies and beneficial insects. Blooms the first year from seed.
Basket of Gold (Alyssum montanum, Alyssum saxatile) -- The bright yellow flowers bloom in May, providing an early food source for ladybugs and hoverflies.
Bronze Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpureum') -- Handsome bronze foliage. The flowers attract lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies, parasitic mini-wasps and butterflies, and the foliage feeds swallowtail butterfly larvae. Freshly-ground fennel seeds are great for sausage and spagghetti sauce, and the leaves are used in fish dishes.
Catnip (Nepeta) -- Attracts bees, butterflies and beneficial insects. There are both edible and ornamental varieties.
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) -- Leaves and flower buds are used in recipes. Makes a nice edging. Deadhead to prevent excessive self-sowing. Attracts bees and butterflies like crazy.
Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum) -- The flowers attract bees and beneficial insects. The leaves have a nice, strong garlic flavor. Chives and garlic chives make good companion plants for roses because they repel aphids.
Golden Marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria) -- The daisy-like flowers attract lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies, tachinid flies and parasitic mini-wasps.
Hesperis matronalis (Dame's Rocket) -- Pretty purple or white flowers. The young leaves are edible. Attracts bees and butterflies.
Lavender 'Lady' (Lavandula angustifolia) -- A nice compact lavender for the herb garden. The flowers attract hoverflies and bees. The fragrant foliage is used in potpourri. Blooms the first year from seed.
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) -- The lemon-flavored leaves make a good tea. The tiny flowers attract hoverflies, tachinid flies and parasitic mini-wasps.
Lemon Bee Balm (Monarda citriodora) -- Like the name says, it attracts bees like crazy. The lemon-scented leaves are edible, and the flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) -- The umbel flowers attract hoverflies, tachinid flies and parasitic wasps. Parsley is a favorite food of Eastern black swallowtail butterfly larvae.
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) -- This perennial wildflower is sometimes listed as an herb because the roots are used in herbal medicine as an immune stimulant. The flowers attract bees and butterflies.
Red Valerian (Centranthus ruber) -- Attracts butterflies and beneficial insects. The young leaves and roots are edible.
Rocky Mountain Penstemon (Penstemon strictus) -- Lovely spikes of blue flowers in June and July. Attracts ladybugs, hoverflies, hummingbirds and bees.
Sage (Salvia sp.) -- There are many forms of sage, including culinary sage. They all attract bees and butterflies, and some species attract hummingbirds.
Speedwell (Veronica spicata) -- Attracts ladybugs and hoverflies.
Thyme (Thymus sp.) -- Attracts bees, hoverflies, tachinid flies and parasitic mini-wasps.
Viola -- I let these self-sow wherever they like. They don't disturb the vegetables, and the edible flowers make nice cake decorations.
Yarrow (Achillia sp.) -- Attracts ladybugs, hoverflies and parasitic mini-wasps.
