Picture this: you are outside tending to your garden, and you step in an ant pile. You decide to go to the store and buy some pest control spray to get rid of those pesky ants for good. While wanting to remove ant piles from your yard is certainly understandable, you should consider the good these ants are doing for your yard first! Gardeners know that there are plenty of pests to look out for in your garden, like aphids, slugs, mites, and even moles, but there are also many critters that benefit your garden.
Ants are great for your garden because they aerate the soil while creating their hills, meaning that more oxygen and water can reach the roots of your plants and help them grow. The feeding habits of ants are another reason they can benefit your garden. Most ants are scavengers, which is helpful to plants because the ants act as composters by breaking down the dead insects they feed on and turning them into nutrients for your plants.
Like ants, ladybugs are sometimes cited as pests, but they are helpful to your garden. Ladybugs are beetles that eat aphids and mites, which are both detrimental to gardens because they suck nutrients out of the plants they prey on. Ladybugs are mostly carnivorous and occasionally feed on nectar and pollen, but if they have plenty of smaller insects to feed on, they will largely leave your plants alone. A smart trick to attract ladybugs to your garden and keep aphids away from your favorite plants is to grow marigolds. Aphids and ladybugs alike are attracted to the nectar from marigolds, so the ladybugs will be able to prey on the aphids on the plant and feed on its nectar. Plus, both insects will leave your more valuable plants alone while they focus on the marigolds.
Another unsuspecting friend to your garden is the garter snake. Garter snakes are fantastic pest control, feeding on grasshoppers, slugs, and even small rodents that would ruin your garden if left unattended. These nonvenomous snakes are harmless to humans and pets, so it is safe to let them live in your yard.
Lizards are another reptile that is common in Florida. Not only are lizards great at keeping the population of slugs, ants, and other insects low, but they are also a sign that your garden is healthy! Lizards are sensitive to heavy metals and pollutants, so if your garden consists of edible plants, it could be a sign that they are safe to eat if lizards are around.
While it is true that some of the critters mentioned can cause problems in your garden, the important thing to note is that population control is key. Your garden is an ecosystem, so a balance must be maintained to keep it healthy and sustainable. Even though a small population of ants is healthy for your yard, a large colony can cause too much aeration and dry out your soil. Large ant hills pose a threat to pets and children if they accidentally trample them, leading the ants to come out in a frenzy and bite. Conversely, killing all the ants in your garden might have an adverse effect on the plants because they will need to work harder for nutrients without the aeration and compost provided from the ants. If you are wondering how to know if your animal and insect populations are healthy, one way to tell is to look out for spider webs. Spiders trap insects in their webs to eat and will only live where there is food. Therefore, a few spider webs around the garden indicate that you have a solid insect population, and you can rest easy knowing that the spiders will keep the insect population low. Next time you are tending to your garden, keep an eye out for the critters lending a helping hand! 
Callie Wilkins
Home & Yard Magazine
