I love gardening, but I don’t know a ton about it, especially when it comes to bugs. I was always so mad last year when I went over to my garden and there were bugs there. Especially squash bugs! Did you know some bugs for your garden are good bugs? I’m happy to share this great guest post today where Alek will share with us 7 Bugs that are good for your Garden! 
Bugs That Are Good For Your Garden
By: Alek Sabin
For the green-thumbed individual with a knack for plants, there are few feelings worse than seeing a garden overrun with a horrid display of destructive insects. For this reason, many beginning gardeners often have an inherent distrust of creepy-crawlies. There’s a good reason for this, as many bugs can kill an entire crop of plants in a matter of days, and even cause structural damage in a home, as shown here. However, you shouldn’t panic everytime you see an insect! There are plenty of bugs that are great for your garden, and even some that help you get rid of the bad ones (if you’re looking for ways to get rid of the bad ones, here’s a helpful article to read on the subject). Here are some examples of bugs you should have in your garden)…
Tachinid flies
This may be a surprising fact to everyone, but one of the most important creatures for our ecosystems is actually the common tachinid fly. They help reduce harmful insects by laying eggs as parasites in the bodies of those particular bugs. The larvae then proceeds to eat those insects from the inside out. These little flies are the biggest reason that many pest populations are not out of control, currently. However, there is no solid way to attract these guys to your garden. Luckily, they are already very common in North America.
Honey Bees
If you’ve kept up with agricultural news at all, recently, you’ve heard all about the current global issue with her populations. Although it isn’t necessarily the end of the world, there is definitely a good reason to be concerned. Many, many plants can only survive if they are insect-pollinated, as opposed to wind-pollinated. Honey bees are the number one pollinator of these plants. Without them, the volume with which we produce many different crops would be immeasurably reduced. This is why it is important the honey bee populations are well and thriving.
Butterflies
It is quite ironic that butterflies can be powerful pollinators for many crops that require insect-pollination, since caterpillars are particularly destructive pests, when it comes to gardens. However, if those caterpillars survive to become butterflies, then they are an essential element of maintaining plant populations and ensuring that many trees and ground-based fruits are able to expand.
Earthworms
This is an obvious one! Worms are an essential element of fertilizing your soil. The eating and waste patterns of common earthworms keeps a healthy supply of nutrients cycling through your garden. Nutrient-rich soil is the key to growing plants that are otherwise difficult to maintain, and help your produce grow larger and healthier.
Ladybugs
Ladybugs are one of the most popular predators that are used by farmers to protect their crops from other insects. Ladybugs thrive off of eating aphids, mites, and mealybugs, which are all incredibly destructive to crops and other plants. You can purchase large bags of ladybugs from many farming supply stores, but you can also bring them to your garden by growing dill, fennel, angelica, and other plants. It’s important to note that ladybugs are often more useful than typical soldier beetles, as they tend to only eat insects that are harmful to your garden. Soldier beetles, on the other hand, may end up eating bugs that are good for your garden, as well as the harmful ones.
Braconid wasps
If you ever see a caterpillar that is covered in small, white, cocoon-looking orbs, then you have seen the work of the braconid wasp. Like tachinid flies, braconid wasps lay their eggs into hosts that are usually insects that are bad for your garden. Once inside, the tiny wasps in their eggs will begin to weave a cocoon that pierces through the body of the host, until they can one day hatch and eat the host. These are especially good for getting rid of tomato hornworms, which can devastate tomato plants incredibly quickly.
Lacewing
Lacewings are a beneficial bug with a dual purpose. The adults are decent pollinators that survive off of Nestor from various plants. Meanwhile, lacewing larvae are usually planted in the bodies of harmful insects to your garden, where they then hatch and eat their way out. This helps keep pest populations under control.
