List of plants from each of the beneficial bug desriptions.
SYRPHID FLIES - Plant coreopsis, baby blue eyes, candytuft, morning glory, or oleander to host these beneficials.
LACEWINGS - Their favorite plants are wild lettuce, dill, caraway, angelic ca sunflowers, cosmos, sweet alyssum, dandelion and golden rod flowers. yarrow, oleander and Queen Ann’s Lace.
LADYBUG - Lady beetles like pollen and nectar from flowers such as angelica, alfalfa, coffeeberry, Mexican tea, evergreen euonymus, oleander, morning-glory, goldenrod, dill and fennel and/or grains like buckwheat. They feed on dandelion, Queen Ann’s lace and yarrow so leave some in your yard or plant at the edge of your garden.
ASSASSIN BUG - You improve your chances of having assassin bugs if you plant Queen Ann’s lace and members of the daisy family that may hold them to your yard if the pest population is low. The assassin bug needs small flowers, as do most beneficials, because they cannot reach too deeply into a flower for nectar and pollen. During the season you can also find these friends on alfalfa, camphorweed, plants in the carrot family, goldenrod, Mexican tea, and oleander.
BIGEYED BUG - In the flower bed try yarrow, and sweet alyssum, Mexican tea, and oleander.
SOLDIER BUGS - In the garden grow nectar and pollen plants. Soldier bugs like hydrangeas for some reason that is not clear. In the weed patch, adults often congregate in large numbers on the flowers of goldenrod and milkweed.
HERE IS A COLLECTION OF FLOWER SEEDS TO ATTRACT BENEFICIAL INSECTS
Attract beneficial insects to your garden. The combination of perennial and annual varieties in this mix attract a wide array of beneficial insects that prey upon garden-harming bugs. Mix contains: Yarrow, Ammi, Golden Tuft, Dill, Cilantro, Cosmos, Buckwheat, Leaf Fennel, Hairy Vetch, Sweet Alyssum, Mizuna, German Chamomile, Basil, and Crimson Clover. SEEDING RATE: PKT. sows a 45' row or 4 sq.ft.; 1/4 lb. sows 500 sq.ft.; 20-25 lb./acre. Ht. 6-36".
