Slowly but surely I’m becoming aware and interested in what I can do in my own garden to attract and provide sustenance for beneficial insects for the purpose of creating a more biologically diverse habitat and more ecologically managing “pests” that might otherwise ruin my plants. There are number of excellent references on this subject which I’ll list at the end of this article, since in this article I am only focusing on some key plants you can grow to make the greatest impact on typical “pest “populations.

My strategy is to plant a beneficial plant at each ends of each of my 4X8’ vegetable beds so that there is a ready supply of pollen and nectar for as much of the year as possible. Since the insects that tend to be a problem in the Willow Glen area include aphids, scale, whiteflies, thrips, mites and a number of caterpillars, I’m growing plants that attract beneficials that prey on or parasitize these pests.

Some effective predators and parasites for these are: lacewings, syrphids, lady beetles, predatory bugs (certain hemipteras), predatory mites, and parasitic wasps. Plants which attract and support these, include ones who flowers provide ample nectar and/or pollen (when in flower) such as: Abutilon (flowering maple), African blue basil, Caryopteris, cilantro, Cosmos, dill, fennel, Scabiosa (pincushion flower), sunflowers, sweet allysum, Tithonia, white lace flower, yarrows and Zinnias. Additionally, to attract butterflies and hummingbirds, I tuck some plants of Alstromeria (Peruvian lilly) Asclepias, cardinal climber, columbine, coneflowers, passionfruit or passionvine (Passiflora), Salvias and scarlet runner beans around in my yard. There are also many native plants like ceonothus and native grasses which should be designed into appropriate sections of one’s yard to enhance native wildlife.

Shepherd’s Garden Seed’s has an excellent publication called “Attracting Beneficial Insects to the Garden with Beneficial Flowers”, which is 8 pages of well written information on the subject. Other excellent information sources on this subject are the U.C. IPM publications -- Pests of the Garden and Small Farm and Pest of Landscape Trees and Shrubs.

If you want to purchase “beneficial insects” from a nursery or through the mail, it is still critical that you have a garden that can support them or they will die or fly off to better digs. Having a garden that supports them means you don’t indisciminately spray toxic pesticides whenever you see an insect and that you have a variety of pollen and nectar producing plants.

Other Resources:

• UC Natural Enemies Gallery
• Plants that attract beneficial insects

Last Updated: 22-Nov-2003