Bugs to be Thankful for – Some Bugs are Good Bugs

Good Bugs

With Thanksgiving Day right around the corner, many Americans are expressing gratitude for things they usually take for granted, such as good bugs that help beautify flowers and eat harmful pests. You might want nothing to do with mosquitoes, termites or cockroaches, but here are a few examples of beneficial insects to be thankful for and how to attract them to your garden.

Good Bugs to Keep Around

• Bumble bees: Bees stay busy for much of the year, pollinating flowers in a way that other insects are incapable of.
• Dragonflies and damselflies: These beautiful insects eat mosquitoes, flies and other pests smaller than themselves, meaning they are definitely good bugs for your garden.
• Ground beetles: Night insects aren’t often visible during the day, but they take care of the worst garden pests with no effort on your part.
• Ladybugs: These beneficial bugs make for great garden insects because they feast on aphids and tree lice.
• Spiders: It’s time to relinquish your arachnophobia because spiders weave webs that trap all kinds of harmful insects.
• Praying mantises: Don’t shoo away these good bugs because they will devour just about any bad bug they come across.
• Assassin bugs: They look a little creepy, but keep assassin bugs around to eat bedbugs, termites and cockroaches.

How to Attract Good Bugs

• Plant a diversity of nectar-producing flowers to attract bees and other pollinating insects. The wider the plant varieties are, the more good garden insects you will attract.
• Choose native plants, which attract more good bugs than tropical flowers. Any of the following plants that are native to your area should be planted without hesitation if you want to attract good bugs for your garden: Baby’s breath, dill, feverfew, carrots, goldenrod, marigolds, lavender, parsley, spearmint, sunflowers, nasturtiums, sweet alyssum and rose-scented geraniums.

While there are plenty of good bugs to be thankful for, there are even more pesky insects you want to keep out of your home. Keeping good bugs around is a great way to keep a handle on harmful pests. If you have a bug problem that can’t be managed by the beneficial insects in your garden, please call the HomeTeam Pest Defense professionals at 855-855-4873. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn for more information.