by Denise Calaman

Created on: February 11, 2009   Last Updated: October 21, 2010

Many gardeners get more than a little annoyed with bugs. While working in the garden, the buzzing and the biting, can be so frustrating and the crop damage caused by some bugs can decimate a garden. Gardeners become so annoyed with these pests that US gardeners spend millions of dollars annually on chemical and organic pesticides to rid their gardens of these so called pests. However; few gardeners realize most insects are beneficial to their gardens and their gardens will benefit greatly by keeping these bugs around. Good bugs benefit gardens in a few different ways; they are natural pesticides, they aerate the soil and they act as pollinators.  Here are some examples of some bugs that you may want to welcome to your garden this spring:

Insects That Act As Natural Pesticides-

Some insects act as natural pesticides by eating destructive, cropping damaging bugs. With more gardeners choosing to garden organically good bugs give organic gardeners the ability to grow plants pesticide free resulting in healthier crops for our families to eat.

Ladybugs, also known as Ladybird beetles, are perhaps a gardener's best friend. Ladybugs primary food sources are mites and aphids. Mites and aphids are tiny and very destructive to vegetables as well as ornamental plants. Ladybugs devour these destructive pests, by eating 30-40 insects per day. Ladybugs are so beneficial to a gardener that they are one of the few insects that may be purchased in bulk through seed catalogs and farm supply stores. To prevent ladybugs from simply flying away, plant scented herbs around your garden such as tansy, cosmos and angelica. Ladybugs come out of hibernation during the first warm days of spring and will stick around until the first frost.

Praying Mantids arrive in the spring around the same time as ladybugs and are found throughout most of the world. They are voracious eaters. Praying Mantids eat destructive bugs but aren't choosey when it comes to their menus and will eat good bugs as well. They can be recognized by their "praying" and waiting position. They are the only insects that can rotate their heads giving them the ability to watch for food all around them.

Robber Flies can be a bit intimidating when you see one in action. They eat destructive insects by dropping down on them from above. Once they catch their prey, they fly off to devour it. Robber flies catch flies and grasshoppers but their favorite insects are beetles. Robber flies are found throughout summer in open meadows

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