What makes a bug beneficial to your yard? In addition to those that pollenate, such as bees and butterflies, there are also several bugs that eat garden pests like aphids and armyworms.

If you know which herbs and flowers to plant, in order to attract these “good guys” to your yard and garden, you can create a tiny ecosystem that provides natural pest control!

Every plant we’re featuring is either edible or it produces lovely flowers. There are even a couple on the list that do both!

Let’s take a look at 10 plants that do a great job of attracting beneficial bugs:

Coriander

Also known as cilantro, this gorgeous and flavorful herb attracts green lacewing flies and hoverflies to your garden.

Parsley

A famously versatile herb and a great addition to your garden, parsley attracts braconid wasps, hoverflies, and tachinid flies.

Yarrow

The delicate white and yellow flowers of the yarrow plant will attract hoverflies, ladybugs, green lacewings, and braconid wasps.

Primrose

Named for its tendency to be among the first flowers to bloom in early spring, primrose attracts ground beetles, hoverflies, and ladybugs.

Dandelion

“But that’s a weed!” -Keep in mind that dandelions are opportunistic but not invasive. In addition to having edible leaves and pulling vital nutrients into your topsoil, they also attract ladybugs and green lacewings.

Zinnias

These colorful beauties will brighten up any garden, and they attract hoverflies and soldier beetles.

Dill

This herb is more versatile than many realize, and is quite easy to grow. Dill attracts green lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies, aphid midges, and praying mantises.

Marigolds

A cousin to both daisies and sunflowers, marigolds produce voluptuous blossoms that attract soldier beetles, praying mantises, and hoverflies to your yard.

Lemon Balm/Geranium

With fragrant, citrusy foliage that make a great tea, lemon balm attracts Tachinid flies, hoverflies, and braconid wasps.

Sweet Alyssum

A Texas favorite, these bright beauties will attract pollenators, ladybugs, and hoverflies to your garden.

 

You may be wondering why we consider those specific bugs as beneficial to your yard. Quite simply, it is because they combat intrusive pests that can harm or even ruin your grass and garden.

Here is a list of each bug we mentioned, and what they rid your yard of:

Green Lacewing Flies: Beautiful; eat aphids, white flies, mealy bugs, and leafhoppers.

Hoverflies: Look a lot like a bee or wasp, but do not sting; eat aphids, scale insects, and caterpillars.

Tachinid Flies: Eat moths, armyworms, cutworms, and sawflies.

Ladybugs: Adorable; eat aphids, mealy bugs, leafhoppers, and mites.

Soldier Beetles: Eat grasshopper eggs, aphids, and soft-shelled insects.

Aphid Midges: Eat aphids!

Praying Mantises: Tiny aliens; eat moths, beetles, and crickets.

Braconid Wasps: Do not sting; eat worms and aphids.