Insects play such an important part in keeping our gardens healthy.
Since we started making bug houses, one of the most common questions we get asked is: “Why do I want bugs in my garden?” Well, many bugs help our plants to grow by pollinating them, these beneficial insects keep the soil healthy and they naturally control garden pests that feed on our favourite plants.
Whether it’s bees and butterflies pollinating our flowers, fruit and vegetables or ladybirds and lacewings keeping the aphid population under control, beneficial bugs are crucial to keeping your garden healthy.
But which insects are the good ones? you can see from the great infographic below that bees, ladybirds, spiders, lacewings. earwigs, ground beetles and ants are ‘helpful’ bugs and should be encouraged into our gardens.
Source: Fix.com Blog
How can I attract more bugs into my garden?
Now you know how good bugs are for your garden you’re probably wondering how to attract more of them.
Many gardens now are so well kept that beneficial insects are finding harder to find natural spaces to rest, nest and shelter. A few simple changes can really help them.
Make a log pile to attract beetles and ladybirds and create pond to lure dragonflies, water beetles and pond skates. Piles of rocks or upside down flower pots make great homes for ground beetle, centipedes and spiders and if you grow a wide variety of flowers you’ll have a really good chance of attracting bees, butterflies, lacewings and hover flies.
If possible, leave an area of your garden to grow ‘wild’. This will encourage bugs (and other wildlife) to visit your garden.
As you can see, it’s good to encourage beneficial insects to make your garden their home. If you’re still in two minds, take a look here to find out why you should have a bug house.
