Garden Pests and Diseases - Friends
Although it seems like there are a lot of critters out to eat your plants, Mother Nature has created a balance to the onslaught of baddies with the insects and animals below.
| Animal | Benefit | How to attract them |
| Birds | Eat slugs, snails and other insects. | Attract birds into the garden by providing food in the winter, with a nut feeder, fat ball or berried shrubs. Erecting nesting boxes will get the adult birds busy in the spring, collecting insects for their young. Don't forget fresh, clean water. |
| Centipede | They are predators and eat insect pests such as grubs, woodlice and slugs. | |
| Earthworm | Aerate soil and mix animal waste and dead vegetation. | |
| Frogs & Toads | Eat slugs, snails and other insects. | Create a pool and the frogs and toads seem to appear from nowhere. They need water in order to breed. |
| Hedgehog | Eat slugs, snails, beetles and other insects. | Don't leave out bread and milk, if you think there is a shortage of insects then maybe leave some cat or dog food. For further information see http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/. Also provide a safe place for them to sleep and hibernate. |
| Hoverfly | The hoverfly nymph eats aphids. | Planting dill will encourage them into your garden. |
| Ladybird | Love eating aphids, including blackfly and greenfly. | If you've got greenfly, the ladybirds will find you. |
