5 beneficial bugs for your garden
These bugs are so helpful, you can buy them at the store!
More Stories
Most people are looking to keep bugs out of their garden, but some little critters are so helpful, you can buy them at the store!
Every bug has a place in the garden, whether it's feeding wildlife, helping improve your soil, or eating bugs they could destroy your plants. That's why I encourage organic gardening. When your garden is in balance, it's easier to make plants bloom and healthier to eat from.
Here are 5 of my favorite bugs in the garden.
1. Ladybugs
Not to be confused with the Asian Ladybeetle (more on that in a moment), lady bugs are a favorite for gardeners. They eat "soft bodied" sap sucking pests like aphids & mealybugs. These pests literally suck the life out of plants which cab reduce produce yields and encourage fungal diseases. One adult ladybug can eat up to 50 aphids per day, and you can buy several hundred ladybugs at the same time.
Ladybeetles can also help your garden thrive, but these bugs bite and are invasive. They have an oval shape and are larger than ladybugs.
2. Praying Mantises
It's no secret these bugs are incredible predators! They are so beloved that there is a common myth going around that they are illegal to kill. While it's not against the law to get rid of them, why would you want to?
Mantis bugs catch and eat a wide range of pests, including caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, and even wasps. They're great for overall pest population control. Unfortunately, they do prey on beneficial insects, but it is the circle of life!
3. Red Worms (Red Wigglers)
Red worms digest food scraps and other organic matter, turning it into nutrient-rich worm castings that dramatically improve soil structure and fertility.
They're great for compost bins!
4. Hoverflies (Syrphid Flies)
Hoverflies look like small bees, but don’t sting—and they’re excellent pollinators. I recently learned their larvae are also natural predators of aphids, thrips, and other small garden pests.
5. Spiders
Spiders are terrifying to some, but there is no questioning their place in the garden. Spiders catch & consume a wide variety of insects, including flies, mosquitoes, beetles, and caterpillars. Did you know mosquitos are the deadliest living thing on the planet? They are efficient disease vectors and kill millions of humans every year.
Encouraging beneficial bugs is a natural, eco-friendly way to build a resilient, thriving garden. Whether you’re releasing ladybugs, composting with red worms, or letting spiders do their thing, these small helpers make a big difference.
