Garden
by Willowbottom
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Pollinators, predators, and natural pest controllers
Encourage, don’t just control
A garden with a strong population of beneficial insects rarely needs pesticide intervention. Plant diversity, undisturbed habitat, and no broad-spectrum sprays are the three things that matter most.
36 garden allies
A predatory true bug 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long with a curved beak and a narrow elongated head. It injects paralyzing saliva into prey and feeds on a wide range of pest insects.
Small, fast-moving bugs with conspicuously large eyes, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long. Active predators of thrips, aphids, spider mites, and small caterpillars in beds and borders.
Large, fluffy bees that are outstanding pollinators of tomatoes, beans, and early-season flowers. Their "buzz pollination" technique releases pollen that other insects cannot access.
Familiar and beautiful garden visitors that pollinate many wildflowers and garden plants. Their caterpillars are an essential food source for garden birds and wildlife.
Large, robust bees that bore neat circular tunnels into dry, untreated wood to build their nests. Important pollinators, especially for open-faced and tubular flowers.
Early-season solitary bees named for the cellophane-like waterproof lining they apply to their underground nest cells. Among the first native bees to emerge in spring.
Fast-moving, many-legged predators of soil pests. Centipedes hunt in soil, leaf litter, and under stones, preying on slugs, insects, and soil-dwelling larvae.
Day-flying moths with transparent wings that mimic wasps and bees. Pollinators of wildflowers, active in sunshine and easily mistaken for small wasps.
A familiar garden visitor and highly effective pest controller. Frogs eat slugs, snails, flies, beetles, and worms - consuming large numbers each night throughout the season.
Warty-skinned, terrestrial relatives of frogs that are outstanding slug predators. Toads are more drought-tolerant than frogs and forage widely through the garden at night.
Flat-bodied spiders that sit motionless on flowers, often changing colour to match the petal. They ambush visiting insects including flies, beetles, and small bees.
Slender, pale brown predatory bugs 1/4 to 1/2 inch long with grasping front legs. Effective predators of aphids, caterpillars, and leafhoppers on crops and ornamentals.
Slender, brightly coloured relatives of dragonflies that fold their wings when resting. Predators of small flies and gnats, with aquatic larvae that live in garden ponds.
Fast, agile aerial predators with near-perfect hunting efficiency. Both adults and aquatic larvae are voracious predators - adults catch flying insects on the wing, larvae hunt underwater.
Familiar insects with distinctive rear pincers. Earwigs are genuine garden allies - they are important predators of aphids and insect eggs, and are far more beneficial than their reputation suggests.
Soft-winged beetles famous for their bioluminescent light signals at dusk. Adults rarely feed; larvae are active predators of slugs, snails, and earthworms in the soil.
Slender, striped non-venomous snakes that are entirely harmless to humans and a genuine garden ally. They feed on slugs, frogs, insects, and small rodents.
Delicate pale-green insects with lace-veined wings and golden eyes. The larvae - called aphid lions - are fierce predators; adults feed on nectar and pollen.
A diverse family of fast-moving, mostly nocturnal beetles with shiny black bodies. They shelter under stones and mulch by day and hunt slugs, snails, and cutworms at night.
Large, fast-flying moths also known as sphinx moths that hover at flowers like hummingbirds. Vital pollinators of evening- and night-blooming flowers with deep tubes.
The most recognised pollinator, essential for orchard crops, berries, and flowering vegetables. A single colony may contain 50,000 workers, each visiting hundreds of flowers per day.
Agile flies that mimic bee and wasp markings. Adults are important flower visitors and pollinators; many species produce larvae that prey on aphid colonies.
Small, compact spiders with large forward-facing eyes and the ability to leap many times their body length. Active daytime hunters of flies, aphids, and other small insects.
A small dome-shaped beetle about 1/4 inch long, most commonly red with black spots. Both adults and larvae are voracious predators of aphids and other soft-bodied pests.
Solitary native bees that cut neat circular sections from leaves to line their nest cells. Important pollinators of legumes, berries, and wildflowers through summer.
A solitary native bee that is an extraordinarily efficient pollinator - a single mason bee pollinates as many flowers as 120 honeybees. They use mud to seal nesting tubes.
A large group of solitary bees that nest in the ground, excavating small burrows in bare or sparsely vegetated soil. Active from early spring through summer.
Tiny black-and-white bugs under 1/4 inch long that are highly effective predators of thrips, aphids, spider mites, and whitefly. Despite their size, they are among the most voracious garden predators.
A diverse group of moths that pollinate evening and night-blooming flowers. Collectively as important as bees for certain plant families, and a vital food source for bats and birds.
Large orb-weaving spiders that build the classic circular spoke-wheel webs. Harmless to humans and extremely effective at catching flying insects, including many pest species.
A diverse family of very small wasps, most under 1/4 inch long, that lay their eggs inside or on pest insects. The larvae develop inside the host, eventually killing it.
Microscopic mites, invisible to the naked eye, that prey on spider mites, thrips larvae, and fungus gnat eggs. Invisible to the naked eye but highly effective at suppressing pest mite populations.
Elongated beetles with short wing covers and a characteristic habit of raising the tail end when alarmed. Both adults and larvae prey on soil pests, fungus gnats, and pest eggs.
Soft-bodied beetles with distinctive red-orange and black markings, often seen on flowers in summer. Adults and larvae both prey on aphids, caterpillars, and other soft-bodied insects.
Small to medium metallic-green or black bees, often with striking iridescent colouring. One of the most common native bee groups, active from spring through autumn.
Bristly, robust flies that parasitise caterpillars, beetles, earwigs, and other insects. One of the most important natural controls of caterpillar pest populations.