All the insects that are good for the garden

If you live with a garden or vegetable patch every day, you are sure to encounter many insects. Bees, butterflies, ladybirds, beetles, dragonflies and earthworms live in your green spaces, filling them with life and contributing to the health and productivity of the plants. In fact, while insects are considered a nuisance in some contexts, if not even a problem, in the garden they are true allies.

The variety of these small inhabitants, in fact, helps keep harmful populations under control, such as pests that prove damaging to crops, and their presence also brings numerous benefits for plant reproduction and soil health.

The role of pollinators

The first insects that come to mind when it comes to the health of gardens and crops in general are bees. In fact, bees are just one of the many species of pollinators that contribute to the well-being of your garden. Wasps and bumblebees are most commonly associated with this role, but butterflies and moths, flies and beetles are also responsible for pollination. These insects, in fact, move from flower to flower and, through their industrious work, collect pollen and nectar, enabling flowers and plants to reproduce.

Populations of these valuable insects are facing a significant decline due to numerous human-caused factors. Deforestation reduces the spaces where these insects live, while chemicals used in intensive farming damage the survival of colonies. For this reason, caring for your garden in an eco-friendly way and enriching it with plants suitable for supporting the survival of pollinating insects is essential for the health of the planet.

Other useful insects in the garden and what they are capable of doing

They are considered the least pleasant to look at, yet worms are among the most useful insects for the health of vegetable patches and gardens. In fact, they are responsible for the well-being of the soil, which is essential for a successful garden. Earthworms, for example, improve air circulation and the soil's water absorption thanks to the small but dense holes they dig in the ground. Furthermore, they are essential for the decomposition and disposal of organic material, which, after passing through them, turns into essential nutrients that plants can then absorb through their roots.

Other highly useful insects for the health of the garden are predators. The name should not be misleading because they are insects that feed on species that are instead dangerous to crops, and therefore keep their populations in check.

Ladybirds, for example, are predators of aphids, small insects that are dangerous and feed on plant sap. The damage caused by aphids is extensive, and the presence of ladybirds, especially their larvae, keeps their proliferation under control. The praying mantis is also a predator of insects harmful to plant health, such as flies, grasshoppers and mosquitoes, making it easy to get rid of them without using pesticides.

Finally, although they are not insects, spiders are also powerful allies for the health of the vegetable patch or garden. These arachnids, often feared, actually feed on the same harmful insects we have already mentioned. The presence of spiders is essential for the health of the garden, but it is important to ensure that it is balanced, to prevent an excessive number of them from also keeping away insects that are useful for the garden's well-being.

How to keep mosquitoes away

Mosquitoes are a very pressing and difficult issue to address. As already mentioned, a good variety of “good insects” helps keep the mosquito population under control, but generally, it is good to know that the dry garden is a natural enemy of these annoying and dangerous insects. In fact, a garden that follows the dry garden philosophy does not offer enough moisture, which is necessary for mosquitoes to reproduce, and is therefore an inhospitable environment for their proliferation.

In any case, to avoid attracting them, it is necessary to avoid leaving saucers full of water for long periods and to prevent stagnant water of any kind. It is also important to consider that while modern high-pressure pest control systems partially solve the problem, they also cause an alteration of the ecosystem's balance, inevitably killing other species as well. For this reason, a natural solution based on biodiversity is the only truly sustainable one.

How to attract beneficial insects through biodiversity

To attract beneficial insects to your garden, you need to make it a hospitable place for these small allies. To do this, it is essential to follow one of the principles underlying the dry garden philosophy: make it a place rich in biodiversity. The presence of a wide variety of plants and flowers not only makes the lawn more resilient, enabling it to withstand various difficult conditions, but also creates the right habitat for the proliferation of different species of insects, establishing a balance that is impossible to achieve artificially.

Using insect houses can also help, creating a space to accommodate pollinators such as bees and butterflies. However, the key to developing a balanced ecosystem is to always focus on diversity and, above all, avoid using chemicals: herbicides for weeds or pesticides for pests only serve to disrupt the garden's balance. Attracting insects naturally, on the other hand, and harnessing their potential for the well-being of the plants, the soil, and the garden's small green ecosystem, allows you to create a healthy place that is, above all, full of life.