We tend to think less when it’s time for pest control. As a result, even the beneficial variety gets wiped out. So there’s a thought process to be followed before giving in to the mixing and spraying spree; it should start with learning about the chemicals as well as the insects; about the effect and the affected. And no, inviting a predator for lunch in your garden in the name of organic pest control may not prove that good; a predator doesn’t always differentiate as well. You need to be picky and invite one with an affinity towards a particular species.

The most common helpful creatures for your garden undoubtedly starts with the ladybugs; the lacewings and preying mantises come next; though the fat brownish green toad and the black and yellow garden spider are at-daggers with each other, individually, they serve your garden well. Keeping that particular point in mind, let’s extend the invitation to the hover and the robber flies and the wasps. To be a good host, all you need to do is provide them with their favorite foods amidst their favorite surroundings.

But a word of caution; it’s not an adult ladybug/ladybird that shall be your real guests. It’s their larvae that shall do you good; they devour aphids with an amazing zeal. Fennel, dill, and cilantro attract them but for the lacewing, geraniums are the things. That way, you can put to work two different forces at the same time.

The praying mantis is nocturnal garden insect and aphids are its favorite. However, it shall also free your garden from the clasps of beetles, flies and moths and a few of the beneficial ones as well. Think twice before you send that invitation and that applies to the toad as well. But then again, he’s a true scavenger of slugs, bugs and mosquitoes.

The black and yellow garden spider though shall free your garden from pest but shall also make it appear dirty because of the cobwebs. And bees may leave you bereft.

But that was a small list; only an entomologist (or a zoologist) can provide you with a comprehensive list of beneficial predators and details of their preferences. Be on the hunt; in the meantime, try to make the best of what you have got.