{"id":8089,"date":"2025-06-11T13:47:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T11:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.varietatslocals.org\/?p=8089"},"modified":"2025-06-11T13:47:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T11:47:27","slug":"how-to-identify-and-protect-beneficial-insects-in-the-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varietatslocals.org\/en\/com-identificar-i-protegir-els-insectes-utils-de-lhort\/","title":{"rendered":"How to identify and protect beneficial insects in the garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we think of insects in the garden, we often think of pests. But not all insects are bad! In fact, many are indispensable allies<\/strong> for the health of the garden: they pollinate flowers, control pests and maintain the natural balance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article we show you how to recognize the most common beneficial garden insects<\/strong> i how to promote your presence<\/strong> in a natural and ecological way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udf3c Why are beneficial insects important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Beneficial insects perform many essential jobs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Pollination<\/strong>: allow tomatoes, zucchini or peppers to bear fruit<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Biological control<\/strong>: they feed on aphids, caterpillars and other pests<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Ecological balance<\/strong>: they help keep a garden alive and healthy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    With more beneficial insects, you will need fewer treatment products<\/strong> and you will have a more productive and sustainable garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    \ud83d\udd0d Most common beneficial insects and how to recognize them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83d\udc1e 1. Ladybugs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
      \n
    • Red color with black dots<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The larvae look like small black or gray crocodiles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
      \n

      Function:<\/strong> they eat hundreds of aphids
      Where they usually appear:<\/strong> in plants with tender leaves (such as tomato plants, basil plants, peppers)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n

      \ud83d\udc1d 2. Bees and bumblebees<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • The bees are small, brown-orange in color.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Bumblebees are larger, with yellow and black stripes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n

        Function:<\/strong> they pollinate tomatoes, zucchini, watermelons, etc.
        Present in:<\/strong> areas with abundant flowers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n

        \ud83e\udeb1 3. Earthworms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Dark brown or reddish in color, with a soft, ringed body<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • They live underground, especially in moist soils rich in organic matter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          \n

          Function:<\/strong> they decompose organic matter and improve soil structure
          Benefits:<\/strong> they increase fertility, aerate the soil and promote water retention <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \"Useful<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
          \n\n\n\n

          \ud83e\udeb0 4. Syrphids (mimic musketeers)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • They are like small bees, with bodies of yellow and black stripes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • They fly in the air as if they were suspended<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \n

            Function:<\/strong> the larvae eat aphids and the adults pollinate
            They usually visit:<\/strong> fennel, chamomile, calendula, eggplant flowers and peppers <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \"Useful<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
            \n\n\n\n

            \ud83d\udc1b 5. Lacewings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • Green insects with transparent wings and golden eyes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Larvae are great predators<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
              \n

              Function:<\/strong> they eat eggs, larvae and aphids
              Where do they live:<\/strong> dense vegetation, cool corners of the garden <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
              \n\n\n\n

              \ud83c\udf38 How to encourage the presence of beneficial insects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              \ud83c\udf3f 1. Plants that attract them<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • Flowers<\/strong>: calendula, chamomile, nasturtium, borage<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Aromatics<\/strong>: basil, rosemary, thyme, mint<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Umbelliferae<\/strong>: fennel, parsley, flowering carrot<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                \n

                \u2728 Let some plants like carrots or parsley bloom so that they act as a natural call for pollinators.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

                \n\n\n\n

                \ud83d\udeab 2. Avoid chemicals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                Conventional insecticides usually kill both pests and beneficial insects<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n
                • If you have to try, use potassium soap or natural extracts<\/strong> like horsetail or garlic<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Apply them during hours of little sun and only if necessary<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Observe carefully.<\/strong>: if there are ladybugs or hoverflies, they may already be doing the work for you!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                  \n\n\n\n

                  \u2705 Summary: protecting beneficial insects is taking care of the garden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                  Useful insect<\/th>What does it do?<\/th>How to attract him<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
                  Ladybug<\/td>Eats aphids<\/td>Varied flowers, presence of aphids<\/td><\/tr>
                  Bee\/Bumblebee<\/td>Pollinates flowers<\/td>Native and aromatic flowers<\/td><\/tr>
                  Syrphid<\/td>Pollinates and controls pests<\/td>Fennel, chamomile, parsley<\/td><\/tr>
                  Lacewing<\/td>Devours pests<\/td>Dense vegetation, natural environment<\/td><\/tr>
                  Spider<\/td>Insect capture<\/td>Preservation of balanced environments<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
                  \n\n\n\n

                  \ud83c\udf3b A living garden is a garden with life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  Opt for a garden with flowers, aromatic plants and plant diversity not only beautifies it, but also makes it more resistant and healthier<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Useful insects such as ladybugs, bees or lacewings are great ecological allies<\/strong> that help you maintain balance without the need for chemicals.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Quan pensam en insectes a l\u2019hort, sovint pensam en plagues. Per\u00f2 no tots els insectes s\u00f3n dolents! De fet, molts s\u00f3n aliats indispensables per a la salut de l\u2019hort: pol\u00b7linitzen les flors, controlen plagues i mantenen l\u2019equilibri natural. En aquest article te mostram com recon\u00e8ixer els insectes \u00fatils de l’hort m\u00e9s comuns i com fomentar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":8096,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[84],"tags":[67],"class_list":["post-8089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entrades-del-blog","tag-varietatslocals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/varietatslocals.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/varietatslocals.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/varietatslocals.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varietatslocals.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varietatslocals.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/varietatslocals.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varietatslocals.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/varietatslocals.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varietatslocals.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varietatslocals.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}