Insects are not often considered beneficial because consumers do not understand the uses of bugs. While some bugs are considered pests, many species are beneficial. The most common benefits provided by insects are to personal gardens and it is best to get as many beneficial bugs in the garden as possible to avoid the use of harmful pesticides and chemicals for pest control.
Pollinators:
Beneficial bugs fall under a few main categories. Pollination is one of the most common categories because it encourages the future growth of plants. Pollinators are the insects that travel from different plants. The pollen from one flower or plant gets on the legs or body of the insect.
After the insect leaves the first plant, the pollen remains on the body or legs. It then travels to another plant and ends up depositing some of the pollen from the first plant in the stamen of the second plant.
Pollination occurs and the plant is able to produce a fruit or seed, depending on the particular plant. This ensures that the next season will result in more plant growth or that the plant will bear fruit within a few months of pollination.
Bees of any kind are particularly noted for encouraging pollination. Since the bees fly from one flower to another and usually stick to the same type of flower within the course of a day, the pollination impact is high. Honey bees are the most well-known species for pollination, but many other types of bees are also effective at pollinating flowers and other plants.
Predatory Bugs:
Predatory insects are the most common beneficial bugs for any garden. These insects will eat the pests that are destroying plants, fruits, vegetables and other garden plants. The best predatory insects are variable based on the type of pest that is eating the garden plants.
The way predatory insects help is by eliminating the pests without the use of pesticides. Instead of killing aphids that are eating roses with a chemical, garden owners can put out ladybugs to eat the aphids and eliminate the threat to the flower.
Depending on the type of pest, the best insects will vary. Ladybugs are best when the garden is facing small pest infestations, such as aphids, but the insects cannot help when the problem is larger bugs or pests like caterpillars that are eating the trees.
The most common beneficial insects that eat pests include the ladybug, praying mantis, bees, wasps, the soldier beetle, the green lacewing and the damsel bug. These are common in most areas and will have an impact on the pests invading a personal garden.
When selecting predatory insects for the garden, it is best to use caution and pay attention to the key problems that are destroying plants. The praying mantis might be useful in destroying pests, but it is also large enough to kill small birds and other potentially useful creatures in the garden. As a result, it is important to avoid putting this creature into a garden that attracts hummingbirds and similar small birds or it might eat the birds.
Subjective Consideration:
The best bugs to benefit the plants depend on the preferred goals. Beneficial bugs are subjective based on the goal of the garden or plant-life. Those who are striving to grow fruits and vegetables will want to incorporate insects that commonly eat pests that might decimate the fruits or vegetables while those who want beautiful rose gardens will want to find insects that encourage improvements to the flowers.
Beneficial bugs are subjective based on the goal of the space. The best insects will vary and sometimes pests in one category are beneficial in another.
Bugs are not always pests. In some situations, the insects are beneficial. Keeping an organic garden or eliminating pests from flowers will often require looking for insects that eat the pests or encourage pests to seek other gardens to infest.