The midwest is known for its plethora of creepy crawlies that disturb our everyday lives. Fortunately, we can utilize our landscaping to attract some insects! Now you may be thinking, “Hold on! I want fewer bugs, not more!” While it may sound odd, there are specific insects you want to attract to your landscaping. These beneficial insects will scare off or eat the bad ones, making your garden a healthier, safer place to frolic. To get these beneficial insects to grace your garden, we recommend planting the three following plants.
3 Plants to Attract Beneficial Insects
#1: Mint
Mint is a triple threat for gardening. First, mint provides the shade to create a dark habitat for predatory beetles who love to munch on unwelcome pests. Plus, their scent attracts helpful pollinators like bees. Second, mint is known for deterring cabbage moths, flea beetles, and ants from the garden. Lastly, mint is tasty for us humans. Whether you are making tea or a cocktail, you can harvest a few leaves for your drink with ease!
Speaking of herbs, we want to note that various herbs deter specific pests. In addition to mint, we recommend planning garlic, rosemary, sage, oregano, basil, and parsley. Not only will it keep away awful insects, but it will aid your cooking.
#2: Yarrow
Yarrow is a perennial flower with gorgeous red, white, and gradient yellow petals. Yarrow attracts beneficial insects such as butterflies because of its sweet fragrance and nectar. Butterflies serve as a vital component of the food chain. Not only will they eat unwanted insects like aphids, but some butterflies will also eat rotting fruit and dead animals, which prevents disease and removes temptation from other destructive pests. On top of that, as sad as it may be, butterflies make excellent meals for birds, lizards, and other small mammals that benefit your garden.
#3: Black-Eyed Susans
Black-Eyed Susans, also known as Rudbeckia, are common garden flowers that look similar to a daisy. They are a powerful plant to incorporate into your garden because they attract hoverflies, bees, and robber flies. Hoverflies, for example, enjoy eating aphids, scales, thrips, and caterpillars in their larvae stage. Sources report that hoverflies rival ladybird beetles and lacewings with their landscaping benefits because when there is a large hoverfly larvae population, they can control between 70-100% of a local aphid population.
Reliable Pest Control
While planting specific flowers and herbs will attract beneficial insects, these little critters can only do so much. If you are facing challenges with aggressive insects, we recommend booking our pest control services. With our “You’re Covered” or “You’re Covered Plus” quarterly pest prevention programs, you can take proactive measures to deter unwanted pests. In addition, this allows our pest control experts to inspect your property to identify other issues regularly. For more information, please book a consultation with us today!