Beneficial Insects

-How to attract them: Plant dill, cilantro, fennel, geraniums, and coreopsis. Bees: Help pollinate fruit trees and other edible plants. -How to attract them: Do not use pesticides, plant native flowers such as Gaillardia and Coreopsis. The more diverse your garden is, the better it will support different bee species as well as other beneficial insects and wildlife. Dragonflies: Consume a large amount of mosquitos and their larvae. -How to attract them: Installing a small pond or fountain will help bring in dragonflies. Adding water plants and small flat rocks will also give them a place to lay their eggs as well as sun themselves. Parasitic Wasp:  These insects lay their eggs in harmful bugs, most wasp larvae feed and pupate inside the host. Many harmful insects such as aphids, whiteflies, scales, leafminers and caterpillars are parasitized. -How to attract them: Similar to bee attractants, plant a variety of flowers. Preferred food sources include alyssum, cilantro and other herbs from the dill family, and composite flowers such as daisies and asters.