There’s so much more to the world of beneficial insects beside bees and butterflies.  Beneficial insects can be pollinators themselves, they help control populations of “bad bugs”, and they thrive under the same conditions as other pollinators, so they’re easy to attract to your garden.

They include Lady Beetles, Parasitic Wasps, Soldier Beetles, Lacewings and Syrphid Flies.

Habitat conservation is the best way to increase biodiversity in your yard and attract all the good bugs you didn't know you needed. In fact, only 1% of Minnesota's original prairie habitat remains.  

Tolerate some level of “bad bug” population

Native plants and grasses. Pocket praries

Leave the leaves

Leave some areas of your garden without mulch so soil dwelling insects can have easy access to make their homes

No mow areas - bee lawns, eco grow turf

Logs, brush piles, leaf piles

Try to do minimal fall clean up, and leave the plant debris through the following spring.

Insect watering stations

Plant a diverse array of perennials with staggered blooms time and flower shape diversity.

 Umbels

Fennel, dill

Yarrow, goldenrods, Joe Pye Weed

Composite

Sunflower, cosmos, single flower zinnia and marigod

Coneflower, daisies, asters

Spike

Lavender, gaura, salvia

Goldenrod, liatris, hyssop

Cup

Violas, Pansy

Evening primrose

Lacewings have four life stages: eggs, woven pupae, wingless immature, and winged adult. The immature stage is most beneficial because they eat other insects.

How to tell lady beetles from other insects

The multicolored Asian lady beetle is the most common lady beetle in Minnesota.  Though it was introduced and is not native, it is an important insect predator and key in soybean production.

It’s important to note that this lady beetle can become a nuisance in fall when it can come indoors looking for warmth.  They are very short lived indoors.

The multicolored Asian lady beetle has four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.

The multicolored Asian lady beetle looks very similar to other lady beetles but is generally larger, about 1/3-inch long.

Soldier beetles are very active in late summer (late July into September), gathering to feed on pollen and nectar, and mating to create the next generation. Though their orange and black coloring can be deceiving, they are totally harmless and do not do any damage to plants. In fact, because of their frequent contact with flowers, they are considered an important pollinator. There is one generation of soldier beetles per season. They will overwinter as larvae, living in leaf litter, plant debris and loose soil, feeding on eggs and larvae of other insects.

Syrphid flies, also aptly nicknamed hover or flower flies, are the tiny insects that seem to float around your flowers in the same way hummingbirds do. They are feeding on pollen and nectar to fuel their flight. Though they look like they could sting or be aggressive, they are totally harmless and use their appearance to protect themselves from predators. Their larvae can be green, yellow or brown and look similar to a small caterpillar with a tapered end. They are very active among plants, looking for food.  Depending on the species, they will eat somewhere between 100-400 aphids per day.

In another case of mimicry, the Transverse Banded Drone Fly looks much like a small wasp or other aggressive insect.  They are totally harmless and are just interested in your flowers for pollen and nectar to fuel their flight.  Their larvae live in stagnant water like ponds and ditch water runoff, feeding on decomposing organic matter.