These 5 Bugs Are Good For Your Yard – Really!
Bugs Are Good. Most bugs serve a purpose in your yard or garden! Here’s a list of five you may see in your yard.
# 1 Lady Bugs
Affectionately loved by small children everywhere, this small beetle isn’t just an annoyance kids like to catch. Adult Lady Bugs actually will actually benefit your yard by eating harmful bugs such as aphids, mites, and mealybugs. The similar looking Asian Beetles that middle Tennessee is all too familiar with serve a similar role, in fact many were released to deal with these other garden pests. So maybe think twice before stepping on these good bugs next time!
# 2 Bees
By Ricks at the German language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0,
You may have bad memories of painful bee stings as a kid, but these buzzers are as helpful as can be! Not only do they make delicious honey, they also pollinate flowers so your own garden can grow. These striped, pollen transporting insects are an incredibly vital part of the ecosystem. Additionally, in the past few years the bee population has been dwindling. This decline could be very harmful to the environment, so just let those honey bees pollinate your flowers for you!
# 3 Dragonflies
By André Karwath aka Aka – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5,
Beyond being quite a cool insect with many vibrant color variations, dragonflies also serve a very helpful purpose. As any tennessean knows, mosquitoes are probably one of the biggest inconveniences on a warm summer night. Luckily, dragonflies eat mosquitoes to keep your backyard nice and mosquito free. Dragonflies tend to live near water, so if you live near any rivers or lakes you’re in luck!
# 4 Spiders
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
As much as everyones loves to hate them, spiders are actually very beneficial and important to have around. Most spiders, such as the common garden spider pictured, are not harmful to humans and keep a watchful eye over many yards in middle tennessee. Spiders play an important role in keeping your yard’s bug population a reasonable size. They prey on many insects which would otherwise wreak havoc on your yard if their population wasn’t controlled, thanks spiders!
# 5 Damsel Bug
By Michael Becker – taken by Michael Becker, CC BY-SA 3.0,
You may have never even seen one of these before, and that’s because they are so small! Damsel bugs range in size from a measly ⅛ to ⅜ of an inch! But these little critters are very helpful to your yard, for many of the same reasons as other insects on this list. They feed on aphids and even the eggs of other harmful insects such as caterpillars to keep your yard healthy and free of pests. These bugs are good!
If you question any bugs or pests you find in your yard, please call us at 615-220-1933 for a free quote. You may change your mind on keeping some of the critters, because many bugs are good.