Sometimes the little ones can make a big difference. We introduce you to ten beneficial insects that support us in the garden and that you should therefore encourage.
When snails (Gastropoda) plunder the vegetable patch and aphids (Aphidoidea) take over, many gardeners are forced to lethal injections grasp. In fact, you can get rid of the unwanted guests much more gently and still efficiently - so-called beneficial insects make it possible. The small animals inspire with their ability to drive away pests and thus protect the garden without any chemicals and a lot of work. And that's not all: some beneficial insects ensure a larger harvest in your garden or even improve the soil structure in the long term and thus relieve the gardener of a whole lot of work. You can find out here which beneficial insects there are and how to get them settled in the garden.
Beneficial insects in the garden are a great thing - but which animals are actually part of it? We have taken a close look at the best-known and most suitable beneficial insects. At the end of the article we also share our tips on how to introduce beneficial insects to your garden.
10. hedgehog
Not only is it funny to look at, but also a great helper in the garden: the hedgehog (Erinaceidae) is a beneficial creature that likes to eat snails, but also spiders and other insects. The hedgehog also likes to tidy up the garden by nibbling on fallen fruit that has been left lying around. The prickly garden police particularly likes to live in gardens that are close to nature, which also offer them an opportunity to overwinter with piles of leaves, hedges and stacks of wood. Find out more about how you can support hedgehogs in the fall here. But the wolverine also has its downsides: in addition to pests, its diet also includes beneficial insects such as earthworms and bird eggs.
9. Ground Beetle
Admittedly, ground beetles (Carabidae) are certainly not the prettiest beneficial insects of all and are probably avoided by most people because they give off a stinking secretion when threatened. Nevertheless, the dark bugs with therobust little legs are a great addition to the garden: at night they eat snail eggs, Colorado potato beetle larvae (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), wireworms (Elateridae), lice and even mites and can absorb three times their own body weight. The best-known representative of this group is probably the ground beetle (Carabus auratus), which is quite impressive with its shiny green-gold shell.
8. Parasitic wasp
The name wasp may sound a bit threatening at first - the parasitic wasp (Ichneumonidae), which is only 0.7 millimeters in size, is harmless (as long as you are not a pest). Despite its small size, the parasitic wasp is a real insider tip when it comes to natural pest control. Especially the larvae of the whitefly (Aleyrodidae) and the leaf miner (Agromyzidae) are on their menu. However, some species of parasitic wasps can also be used against the larvae of aphids or against the eggs of the corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) and the codling moth (Cydia pomonella).
7. Earthworms
Beneficial insects don't always fight pests on the front line - some beneficial insects quietly ensure that the plants in our garden can grow and thrive. A prime example of this is the earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris): although it lives hidden underground, it makes an important contribution to gardening. It loosens up the soil structure, ensures better aeration and water storage capacity and releases valuable worm castings, which proves to be an ideal plant nutrient. The compost worms can also work wonders in the garden, because they ensure that the compost rots better and even improve its quality.
Small but mighty: The predatory mites (Gamasina) are only about a millimeter in size, but they effectively fight various types of pests. Various types of Amblyseius are perfect as beneficial insects against thrips (Thysanoptera) and are also often used in greenhouses. On the other hand, Hypoaspis aculeifer is effective against mosquito species that lay their eggs in the ground (e.g. the fungus gnat (Sciaridae)).and Hypoaspis miles perfectly suited. Spider mites (Tetranychidae) and red spiders (Panonychus ulmi) are best controlled with the Phytoseiulus persimilis - up to 20 eggs or nymphs can be eaten by one of these small beneficial insects in one day.
5. Lacewing
The lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) seems rather inconspicuous, but if you have it in your garden, you almost don't have to worry anymore: Each larva of the beneficial insect eats about 100 larvae in its lifetime 450 aphids. Considering that a female lacewing lays about 350 eggs three times a year, the number of aphids killed can rise to 500,000 - and that's just the offspring of a single female. But not only aphids are on the menu of the lacewing: Thrips, spider mites and other small insects are also eaten with pleasure. You can recognize the lacewing by its iridescent green, very fine wings, which often lie roof-shaped over the rear body.
Birds are popular visitors to many gardens, after all they are some of the most interesting and beautiful animals to be found here. But the lively animals are not only great for observing - they are also ideal as beneficial insects. The blue tit (Parus caeruleus) in particular does unique work in the garden: Up to 600 times a day it feeds its offspring with a beak full of insects and fights many a pest. In addition to frost moth caterpillars (Operophtera brumata) and spider moths (Yponomeutidae), there are also the caterpillars of the dreaded oak processionary moth (Thaumetopoea processionea ), which can trigger dangerous toxic reactions in humans, are part of the titmice diet. In order for the tits to feel at home in your garden, it can be worth putting up birdhouses and maintaining natural breeding cavities (e.g. in rotten trees). Important: To ensure that the nest boxes are really suitable for blue tits, the entrance hole should be around 26 millimeters in size.
3. Nematodes
Nematodes make many gardeners think of pests that feast on potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) and beets (Beta vulgaris). to do. But fresh vegetables are not on the menu for all nematodes - the nematodes of theSpecies Steinernema carpocapsae are beneficial insects that prefer to eat annoying pests. Especially mole crickets (Gryllotalpidae), but also the larvae of the meadow crane fly (Tipula paludosa) and cutworms don't stand a chance when they arrive. The genus Heterorhabditis , on the other hand, can be used effectively as nematodes against vine weevil (Otiorhynchus), snails and grubs of the garden chafer (Phyllopertha horticola ) can be used. But that's not all: As rot-dwellers, the small nematodes also contribute to better composting in the soil. You can find more about nematodes as beneficial insects in our special article. You can also order the small beneficial insects in our Plantura Shop. There you will find our Plantura SC nematodes against mole crickets, crane cranes and cutworms, SF nematodes against fungus gnats, codling moths and ants, and HB nematodes against vine weevils and grubs.
2. Bees and BumblebeesWhen you think of beneficial insects, bees and bumblebees are probably the first things that come to mind. This is not surprising when you consider the effects these small insects have on our garden: their hard work as pollinators means that they play a significant role in a good harvest, especially when you consider that almost 80 percent of crops depend on pollination dependent on insects. Bees are particularly popular as pollinators because of their sweet honey, but the bumblebee is also one of the most important pollinators: With its long proboscis and a very special vibration technique, it is able to attract many plants, for example the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), to pollinate much more effectively than the bee could.
1. Ladybug
The ladybug (Coccinellidae) is not only useful, but also beautiful to look at: With its red body and black dots, the little beetle not only makes children swarm, but also enriches them every garden too. The little beetle is a sly old dog - an adult seven-spot ladybird can eat up to 150 aphids a day and its larvae are always hungry too. However, other ladybird species do not only eat aphids, for example the black globe ladybird (Stethorus punctillum) has specialized in spider mites, while the four-spotted globe ladybird (Exochomus quadripustulatus ) scale insects(Coccoidea) eaten. The two yellow species of sixteen-spotted ladybird (Halyzia sedecimguttata) and twenty-two-spotted ladybird (Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata) are special: instead of insects, they eat powdery mildew (Erysiphaceae), i.e. a fungus, from diseased leaves.
Settle beneficial insects in the garden
Beneficial insects in the garden make gardeners' work easier and are a great way to practice sustainable plant protection. However, many people ask themselves how you can even get beneficial insects to settle in your own garden. In fact, it doesn't take much for insects and co. to feel at home in the garden and start doing their job. Gardeners should be particularly careful not to use chemicals in the form of insecticides or the like - these not only get to the pests, but also destroy the beneficial insects.
Otherwise, when designing an insect-friendly garden, the motto "As natural as possible" applies. Native plants usually offer a significantly better yield for pollinators than exotic rarities, wildflowers offer more hiding places than an English lawn and hedges and shrubs attract beneficial insects much more than a painted garden fence. If you don't attach so much importance to strict order, you have even better chances, because dead wood, piles of leaves and clippings offer beneficial insects an ideal habitat. If you don't have the opportunity to design your garden in a natural way, you can use a so-called insect hotel - this self-made or bought accommodation for beneficial insects not only looks decorative, but also offers the animals a suitable shelter.
An easy way to introduce insect-friendly plants to your garden is to seed an insect pasture. We at Plantura have developed our beneficial insect magnet - a mixture of different annual and perennial proven species that provide food and habitat for a wide variety of beneficial insects - including garden birds, ladybugs, bees and butterflies. You can simply sow the easy-care mixture in the bed, in the pot or in the balcony box and soon watch the wild goings-on.
Buy beneficial insects for the garden
Usually, beneficial insects come into the garden all by themselves if you only give them the right onesconditions. Nevertheless, in some cases it can make sense to give nature a little help: With purchased insects, you can react to acute pest infestations in a much more specialized and timely manner, instead of hoping that the right beneficial insect will settle in by itself in the near future . Nevertheless, care should be taken to make the garden as beneficial as possible - otherwise the little helpers will quickly find a new home. Here you can find out how you can make your garden particularly insect-friendly and therefore beneficial.