Regardless of how much they might make your skin crawl, insects are not all bad. Most of them are harmless and are very good for your garden.But we’re not denying that there are also garden insects you want to get rid of immediately.Here’s a short guide on the bugs you want to leave alone in your garden and the bugs that should leave your garden alone.
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Ladybugs
Coccinellidae, ladybird, lady beetles — they go by many names, but they’re more commonly known in the US as ladybugs.This family of spotted beetles are widely known as beneficial insects in gardens and croplands.Their choice of prey are agricultural pests like aphids and scale insects, so they’re very practical to have around.
To attract them, writer Melissa King recommends growing fragrant plants like angelica, marigold, dill, and fennel.
Make sure there’s enough water for lady bugs to drink and ground cover for their protection.
Damsel Bugs
Another predator to garden pests is the damsel bug. They’re brown, long, and thin, and are considered generalist predators.This means they’re not really picky when it comes to their prey. Aside form aphids and scale insects, they also feed on moth eggs, caterpillars, cabbage loopers, and mites.
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Ground Beetle
Shiny black beetles with rounded bodies are a common sight in most gardens. They like to take cover under rocks and burrow underground for protection.Don’t shoo them away, as these nocturnal insects also eat common garden pests like ants, slugs, and maggots.Other species even get hungry for seeds of invasive weeds like thistle. Given their choice of shelter, make sure to scatter rocks and logs to attract them.
Wasps
They might be notorious for their painful stings, but in the right environment, wasps are something to be thankful for. They’re mostly harmless and only sting in defense.Their stings are, however, deadly for small insects, and they’re considered apex predators who feed on common garden pests. They also help pollinate the garden, which is key for a healthy ecosystem.Another thing to know about these winged creatures is their love for sugary things, which is why they tend to wander inside your home.
Spiders
There are thousands of species of spiders, and if you were to be afraid of some of them, garden spiders shouldn’t make that list.Some spiders are harmless arachnids overall, despite their scary spindly legs. They can maintain ecological balance by eating flying insects that come their way.
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Japanese Beetles
Don’t be fooled by their mesmerizing sheen; Japanese beetles have an appetite for leaves, flowers, and fruit.Thought Co. adds that their populations increase during warm weather which spells bad news for your plants as they can completely obliterate them.Small holes in your crops are telltale signs of a cabbage looper infestation. If you maintain cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, you definitely want to get rid of these chunky bugs.
The good news is that you can remove them safely by hand, and without the use of harmful pesticides.
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Aphids
Small, green to orange, and almost translucent, aphids are a known enemy of gardeners. They are quick and move in numbers, and they also like to suck the sap on plants.Fallen leaves, distorted plant growth, and mold growth are signs of an aphid infestation.
Scale Insects
Scale insects are another example of sap-sucking bugs.The Spruce points out that they may be difficult to identify because their appearance varies in color, size, and shape. However, they’re usually rounded and look like fungal growth.They are also difficult to remove, especially in their adult stage. It’s best to spray them with pesticide during their “crawler stage.”
Slugs
Slugs may look harmless, and in the wild, they’re helpful in recycling organic matter. In gardens, however, they can be extremely damaging as they eat any kind of vegetation available.Their slimy trail attracts other slugs, which means an infestation can quickly occur. Lastly, slugs are disease carriers that can infect pets and humans alike.
Thank you for all the great info!
It seems the bugs are having a record year here this year!
Thank you for all of the gardening inspiration. I have always had a brown thumb, but a desire to try.
Thank you for this awesome info!
Most of the bugs are harmless and are very good for your garden. This applies to bacteria as well.
I like ladybugs
Thanks for all the great info!
Rely polys are my favorite.
Great info even though I hate bugs 🙂
Good to know the friendlies from the pests
Some bugs are creepy looking but glad to know there is good in all.
thanks for the helpful info! i like ladybugs alot, also fireflies.
Thanks for sharing. I knew a few were good bugs and was unaware of some of the other bugs being bad as I have no encounters with them when I garden.
I like having spiders in my garden. I didn’t know that slugs are disease carriers.
i love ladybugs
Thanks for the info, we need bugs for our gardens even we don’t like them.
Very interesting information. I still like ladybugs the best!
Thank you for a great informative article
I’ve had slugs for years. Never knew they could cause harm to animals and pets. Once more, you’ve taught me something I did not know.
Thank you.
good info
I love lady bugs! Not only are they beneficial, but they are so adorable!
good bugs help with your garden in a good way
Thank you for your great advise!
I do not like those nasty little aphids thank goodness for lady bugs..
Thank you for this interesting information. Lady Bugs are our favorite.
Ladybugs are my favorite. One landed on me yesterday.
I like lady bugs and the dragon flies I have been seeing
The only bug that bugs me are mosquitos! The rest i can coexist with!
cute pictures
I’ve always loved lady bugs and I’ve been told in the past they are good luck. I had no idea about the other insects in the garden, I thought they were all pests! Thank you for the awesome information!
We do the beer in a saucer to get rid of some slugs.
I love ladybugs, orb weaver spiders, dragonflies, and butterflies!
Such great ideas. Thank you
It is good to know what are the good bugs and what are the bad bugs. I appreciate all of the useful information.
Thank you for all the information.
Lady bugs are definitely my favorite insect. They are not only pretty, they ar useful in the garden.
I love lady bugs. I have a hard time liking bugs in general. I now will have a different understanding of their part in the life cycle.
Great advice about bags
I love lady bugs
I haven’t seen lady bugs around in over 8 years.
For a while there were the yellowish ones from China that ate holes in my apples.
Right now, the fireflies are out. I don’t put pesticides or herbicides on my lawn and that is where the eggs & babies are under the ground waiting to come out.
One that I really like a lot and find them very interesting, is the Praying Mantis!
interesting topic had no idea about this info on bugs lol
I’m happy to accomodate good bugs but some are just harder to deal with than others.
I don’t like any bugs except ladybugs. lol
My favorite bug is the praying mantis…the carnivore of the insect world. They eat a variety of insects which can be both good and bad for a garden, being that they eat both bothersome insects and the beneficial ones. Overall, they’re good at eating the insects that irritate us such as flies and mosquitos.
We have slugs all over outside and lady bugs for ever that comes in the house in the spring
As long as the bugs are not harmful, I try to leave them alone to do their own thing.
Firefiles! I love watching them dance at night. 🙂
Very cool info! I usually freak out at all bugs but I do respect them! haha
Wonderful, well-organized, and presented information. Thank you.
Very interesting to know this. I do not like most bugs. Some I can tolerate, but one I can’t is the Japanese Beetle.
Love ladybugs – hate aphids!
Japanese beetles totally destroyed our vegetable garden a number of years ago, and I put down nematodes that fall and it seemed to work- we also had a very late frost the following spring, which may have helped, too. I have seen them occasionally since, but never like before… I also recently read that planting geraniums can help, as “Japanese beetles are particularly attracted to geraniums & eat the blossoms, promptly get dizzy from the natural chemicals in the geranium, fall off the plant, and permit you to dispose of them conveniently…”! So planting geraniums close to more valuable plants which you wish to save from the ravages of Japanese beetles may help!
I love all of God’s Creatures as long as they are not harmful or contagious. I try to leave them alone to do their own thing, also I do enjoy a Ladybug flying on me for good luck, the red one for sure.
I love lady bugs!
Always need info to keep my garden green.
Very interesting and informative post. Thank you!
Thanks for the info never knew bugs that were garden friendly except bees and butterfkies .
Some Bug sure loves my cabbage this year!!
Other than ladybugs, I really don’t want a bunch of creepy crawlers in my garden. They give me the creeps. I look for all non-toxic ways to get rid of them, but sometimes I do consider using a ‘spray’.
I love a lot of different bugs!
Love lady bugs but I don’t care what good spiders do I still hate them
We are ready for all the bugs & insects with all your wonderful information.
You and my daughter would have been two peas in a pod. She was so fascinated with all the little crawl abouts. Makes me have a good laugh. Thanks.
I read about good bugs like worms but then read another blog on how tapeworms caused other problems.
aphids! The rest are an issue in Louisiana
winner
Hate aphids
I wish you had included the tomato worms.
I have bought lady bugs and placed them in my yard. They are so helpful to keeping the garden healthy.
Thanks for the info
They are everywhere!
I appreciate this post about bugs.
Ladybugs are my favorite bugs. And, I’ve always thought their larvae looked like ferocious little colorful alligators, when I played with both their cute larval & bug forms as a child. However, I enjoy walking sticks a great deal too. I grew up in Kansas calling the aforementioned damsel bug a damselfly. We had very pretty light blue, shiny green and other colorful shades of damselflies in both Kansas & Missouri. Here in Texas most of the damselflies that visit our garden have green or brown bodies and are ariel delights! We also enjoy huge dragonflies. I’ve even experienced sitting in a canoe while watching the final stages as a dragonfly burst forth from shedding it’s skin! This blog’s gotten me happily tripping down memory lane while reflecting on bugs & nature. Thank you for the interesting topic.
I love lady bugs they are good bugs
I appreciate this bug post ,just released ladybugs and praying mantises in my garden !
I like ladybugs. They’re all over my yard and in my house a couple of weeks a year.
I wish I could find something to eat the ginormous slugs at my house. They would be set for life. I can’t walk out on my porch during the summer without finding some. I also need to try some of the suggestions for attracting ladybugs. I haven’t seen one in years.
It’s a constant battle keeping bad bugs under control.
I’ve always loved lady bugs – even when I was younger and not so keen on insects
Good advice on bugs!!
I haven’t seen as many Japanese Beetles around the past few years, thank goodness.
Thanks for the wonderful article.
I’m not a bug person
We’ve got slugs 🙁
Very useful info. for a good bug!
This Raise Your Garden article includes all my “favorite” garden nemeses! Have been lucky this year with few aphids and slugs, perhaps because it’s been dry, and I carefully use anti-slug application around my Hostas (which they attacked in prior years). Enjoy seeing ladybugs here and there and lots of garden spiders. l also regularly rescue house spiders and move them outside where they can do their thing in the garden!
Always good to educate people about them.
I think lady bugs are so adorable and cute.
Ladybugs are my favorite. They are not scary looking, plus they are good for eating cottony cushion scale and aphids.
Always loved ladybugs in the garden, now I know why!
Some bugs just plain creep me out, but I know that most of them are beneficial. I don’t want any crawling on me, though!
Lady Bugs are my favorite. I just bought a Praying Mantis pod to get rid of the crickets in my yard. Hoping they ‘hatch’ soon!
I love ladybugs however, all I have is Asian ladybugs and they are NOT beneficial at all!
My favorite bug is a butterfly.
I love the praying mantis.
I did not know so much about bugs!
Very interesting…thank you!