Soldier Beetle
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.
Why you want them
Soldier beetles are common and conspicuous garden predators. Adults feed on aphids, small caterpillars, and other insects while also visiting flowers for nectar and pollen, making them useful across multiple roles. Larvae live in soil and leaf litter where they prey on soil pests including vine weevil larvae and small insects. They are particularly abundant in late summer and are often found in large numbers on umbellifer flowers.
Helps control
How to attract them
- Ragwort
- Goldenrod
- Wild carrot
- Hogweed
- Fennel
- Dill
- Marigold
Preferred habitat
Flowers and vegetation in summer; larvae overwinter in soil and leaf litter. They favour open grassland edges, hedgerows, and mixed borders with structural diversity.
What harms them
Insecticide use, loss of rough grassland habitat, and removal of leaf litter that larvae require.
Related pest guides
Garden, by Willowbottom works with nature, not against it. Support your garden allies and they will do most of the hard work for you.