Attracting Beneficial Insects and Pollinators

Gardens benefit tremendously from the presence of predatory insects and pollinators which help protect crops and cut our work in half. I plant herbs such as dill and lavender near my crops to attract beneficial insects in my garden year round.

Importance of Beneficial Insects and Pollinators

Pollinators do the work for you, without them you would need to pollinate your own flowering crops one by one. Predatory insects protect crops by preying on garden pests. Ladybugs and lacewings voraciously consume aphids.

• Hover flies
• Lacewings*
• Lady bugs*
• Parasitic wasps
• Dragonflies
• Bees
• Butterflies
• Hummingbirds
• Bats

*Lady bugs and lacewing larvae are often sold at hardware stores and garden centers in the winter.

Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects

Food for thought: According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, “White clover was at one time prevalent in lawns and in grass seed mixes…” Clover is a natural ferlilizer by imparting nitrogen back into poor soil. It can also thrive in shady or poorly drained areas that conventional lawns don’t grow well in. White clover will produce whiteish pink flowers that attract bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects that prey on garden pests. White clover is back in vogue as an eco friendly lawn alternative. 

• Arugula
• Buckwheat
• Cilantro
• Citronella
• Chamomile
• Cosmos
• Dill 
• Lantana
• Lavender (Spanish attracts bees)
• Marigold
• Mexican sage
• Milk Thistle
• Petunia
• Primrose
• Rosemary
• Spanish lavender
• Sweet Alyssums
• White Clover.

ATRACT HUMMINGBIRDS

Appeal to hummingbirds by planting bright colored flowers and herbs in red and purple to help hummingbirds find nectar. Hummingbirds have a weak sense of smell so bright colors help them find what they need. The following plants attract hummingbirds.

• Pinnata Lavender
• Fuchsia
• Mexican sage
• Lion’s Tail
• Petunia
• Pink jasmine
• Scarlet runner beans

Hummingbirds go crazy for Pinnata lavender over any other flower in my garden.

Another reason to avoid pesticide is the little known fact that hummingbirds are carnivores and eat small insects such as mosquitos. Nature will balance itself out if we humans give it a chance. A feisty hummingbird visits my fruit trees every morning around 6 am to eat the fruit flies near by. I watch him zigzag as he eats his bug breakfast.

See Planting A Hummingbird Garden

Potentially Harmful “Natural” Pest-control Methods

Organic and conventional pesticides can harm beneficial insects, especially bees and butterflies. Even “bee-friendly” pesticides aren’t safe, they are not regulated and may kill other pollinators such as butterflies.

Avoid the following natural pest control methods to protect beneficial insects:

• Diatomaceous earth
• Sulfur
• Sticky tapes
• Essential oils
• Horticultural sopas
• Copper

See Organic Pest Control

See 5 Reasons to Say No to Tilling

Safe Natural Pest-control Methods

Protect your garden from pests while maintaining its unique eco-system. Here are my tried and true methods for keeping pests at bay without harming the beneficial insects in my garden:

• Companion planting to attract beneficial insects and deter pests.
• Adding compost to keep your garden’s soil (aka immune system) pest and disease free.
• Pulling pest attracting weeds.
• Disposing of trimmed plant matter and dropped fruits and veggies around trees and plants.
• Rotating crops to slow and reduce the spread of pests and their larvae on your crops.
• Watering your fruit trees and crops appropriately, especially helpful with preventing spider mites, reducing mold and other diseases.
• Using physical pest deterrents and traps.

Bees love Spanish lavender.