Plants that attract beneficial insects

When we have a vegetable garden, we have to constantly monitor and take care of our plants so that they don’t get infested by pests. When the pests are left untreated they end up killing our plants. Spraying pesticides on our plants regularly can be quite tiring. A garden that needs constant maintenance can be a lot of work over a period of time. One of the ways to control pests in the garden is by growing plants that attract beneficial insects into the garden. Beneficial insects are those that feed upon these unwanted pests like aphids, mealy bugs, whiteflies, cabbage moths etc. Some of the beneficial insects include ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies and parasitic wasps. Creating a garden that provides a habitat for these beneficial insects is needed to attract them. Growing plants like flowers and herbs attract beneficial insects and provide a habitat for them.

Plants that attract beneficial insects 

1.Marigolds

Marigolds are easy to grow and they do not require much maintenance. They are drought tolerant and give flowers throughout the year except for winter. Marigold repels nematodes that cause harm to plants. Planting them near vegetables is a good way to repel nematodes that harm your veggies. The pungent scent of marigolds repels pests. Native varieties of marigolds produce a more pungent scent when compared to the hybrid varieties. Marigolds attract beneficial insects that prey on pests.

2.Sunflowers

Growing sunflowers is a great way to attract wasps, ladybugs, lacewings and big-eyed bugs. When sunflowers are grown near vegetables, these beneficial insects are also found in vegetables. These insects take care of the pests that attack your veggies.

3.Calendula

Although calendula is also called a pot marigold, it is quite different from the ordinary marigold. Calendula can be grown as a trap crop to attract pests like whiteflies and aphids. These pests get attracted to calendula and do not harm other crops. Besides being a trap crop, it attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs, lacewings and hoverflies that eat these pests.

4.Cosmos

Cosmos are annual flowering plants that grow up to 2 metres. They belong to the sunflower family. Growing this flower in the garden attracts beneficial insects like lacewings, parasitic wasps and hoverflies. Cosmos attracts pollinators and birds too. It grows well even in poor soil conditions and does not require much maintenance.

5.Mint

Mint is one of the easiest herbs to grow. At the same time, this herb can become invasive so it’s best to contain it within a certain area. Mint attracts beneficial insects and pollinators. At the same time having mint in your garden is a great way to get rid of the pesky mosquitoes.

6.Thyme 

Thyme is a herb that is grown for culinary purposes. It can be grown to repel mosquitoes. This herb is well known to attract lacewings that use this herb as a habitat lacewings take care of aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs and many other pests.

7.Creeping thyme

Creeping thyme is another variety of thyme and it is also called the mother of thyme. Creeping thyme is grown for landscaping purposes and it acts as a ground cover. It provides a great habitat for parasitic wasps that get rid of pests.

To attract beneficial insects in your garden, it is important that you avoid using any kind of pesticide because these pesticides end up killing beneficial insects.