Not all insects are pests. In fact, there are a number of critters that are beneficial to your garden and landscape. 

If we let insects do their jobs, they can help out in the following ways:

• Preying on pest insects - spiders are predators of insects and so are some types of beetles, flies, and lacewings.
• Reducing pest insects - small wasps lay their eggs inside insects or their eggs, which helps to reduce the pest population.
• Pollinating plants - native bees, honey bees, wasps, flies, moths, butterflies, and some beetles transfer pollen from plant to plant.
• Processing garden material - a number of insects are responsible for breaking down decaying material in your garden.

The trick to attracting beneficial insects is to provide a habitat that interests them and makes them want to stay. When they are given a welcoming habitat, these insects will earn their keep.

How to attract beneficial life to your landscape:

• Include a variety of native plants to provide a variety of food like sources.
• Plant a border of companion plants rich in pollen and nectar.
• Plant ornamental grasses to provide shelter and nesting sites.
• Use a hedge as a windbreak—beneficial insects dehydrate easily.
• Provide a bird bath or water source with stones, so insects can land and drink without drowning.
• Keep your lawn and other plants healthy. Providing the appropriate amounts of nutrients, water, sunlight, and regular upkeep creates a healthy ecosystem.

Pollinators are an essential part of our ecosystem and are needed for food production and the regeneration of our beautiful landscapes.

How to help pollinators:

• Choose a variety of garden plants that are abundant in pollen and nectar, such as catmint, daisies, lavender, and black-eyed Susans.
• Provide water and nesting sites to enhance pollinator habitat.
• Avoid pesticides such as insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides.

Friends that prey on our foes:

• Hoverflies - predators of aphids, thrips and other plant-sucking insects.
• Parasitic Wasps - control whiteflies, aphids, and some caterpillar pests.
• Lady-bird Beetles (Ladybug) - eat aphids, spider mites, mealy bugs, and scale insects.
• Damselflies & Dragonflies - eat mosquitoes.
• Lacewings - lacewing larvae eat aphids, whiteflies, leaf miners, mites, thrips, and scale insects.
• Beetles - some are pests, but most are great pest fighters.
• Nematodes - these microscopic worms feed on the larvae and grubs of many pests.
• Spiders - help keep insect populations in balance.
• Bats - can eat up to 1,000 insects in a night.
• Birds - consume insect eggs, beetles, and grubs.
• Toads - can consume 3,000 grubs, slugs, beetles, and other insects in one month.