How to Create Habitat for Beneficial Insects

flowers blooming around a power pole
Step 1: Choosing a spot for your beneficial insect habitat
bee on a flower
Step 2: Choosing plants that support beneficial insects
a hand full of weeds
Step 3: Managing weeds in your beneficial insect habitat
small plant bug on a flower petal
Step 4: Planting your beneficial insect habitat

Printable guides to creating insect habitat

Guías imprimibles para crear hábitats para insectos, en Español (Spanish language guides)

Choosing plants for beneficial insects

Lists for choosing annual and perennial plants for beneficial insects

Listas para elegir plantas anuales y perennes para insectos beneficiosos

Videos about creating pollinator habitat

What is a beneficial insect?

  • Both pollinators and natural enemies of pests
  • Bees (much more than just honey bees)  
  • Flies, wasps, beetles, bugs, spiders, predatory mites, and more
monarch butterfly on milkweed

What attracts and keeps beneficial insects?

  • Food—diverse flowering plants with lots of pollen and nectar 
  • Shelter—different insects use different types of plants and ground cover or bare ground 
  • Protection from harm—specifically harm from exposure to pesticides  
pollinator garden

This guide was prepared by Amara Dunn-Silver. Last updated on 3/17/2023.

Funds were provided by:

  • The Towards Sustainability Foundation
  • USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Smith Lever project 2020-21-108
  • NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets
  • NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Portrait of Amara Dunn
Amara Dunn-Silver

Biocontrol Specialist

Cornell Integrated Pest Management

Amara Dunn-Silver