What Kinds of Insects Does Lavender Attract?

Adding lavender (Lavandula spp.) to the garden brings many benefits. The leaves and flowers add fragrance and attract pollinators that are also helpful in pollinating other garden plants. The spikes of tubular lavender flowers provide nectar and pollen to a host of beneficial insects, including ladybugs and lacewings that are predators or parasites on garden pests, like aphids and mealybugs. Not many insects feed on lavender plants, because the chemicals in the leaves, stems and flowers repel many harmful insect pests.

Pollinating insects attracted to lavender flowers include bees and butterflies. The insects carry pollen from the male reproductive organs, called anthers, to female reproductive part called the stigma. Once pollinated, seeds grow in the flower's ovary and fruits form.

When pollinators are attracted to your lavender flowers, they'll also visit other plants. Pollination is needed for fruit formation on many garden plants, including fruit trees and many common vegetables. In a study at England's University of Sussex, varieties of lavender pollinators preferred over other species of flowering plants (see include "Grosso" lavender (Lavandula x intermedia "Grosso"), "Gros Bleu" lavender (Lavandula x intermedia "Gros Bleu") and "Hidcote Giant" lavender (Lavandula x intermedia "Hidcote Giant"), all of which grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9.

Often small and inconspicuous, larvae of beneficial insects such as lacewings, flower flies, blue butterflies and parasitic wasps and flies take their toll on garden pests such as caterpillars, grasshoppers and aphids. The adults of these predators and parasites get nourishment from nectar and pollen and are attracted to lavender flowers, to the ultimate benefit of your entire garden.

Although generally pest-free, lavender sometimes has insects feed upon it. The most common lavender pest is spittlebug, which doesn't seem to harm the plant but is unsightly. Spittlebugs are the young forms of a bug called a froghopper. The greenish, wingless nymphs settle on a lavender stem and feed on the plant sap, creating a frothy mound of white bubbles that hides them. Adults are greenish to brownish winged insects about 1/4 inch long that hop and fly. Rinse the nymphs off the lavender plants with a strong stream of water from the garden hose.

Four-lined plant bugs and their nymphs are pests of lavender during springtime and leave by June when their season is over. Nymphs are smaller than adults and can be colored yellow, black or red. Adults are typically black and yellow. The bug suck juices from the lavender and though rarely life-threatening, they cause the plant to look burned and wilted around the foliage edges. Control the problem by squishing the nymphs between two leaves and hand-pick adults and drop into a container filled with soapy water. Sterilize pruning tools by wiping the blades off with alcohol and allow to dry and then prune away the damage.

Several lavender species come from the Mediterranean area, and garden centers sell many cultivars. The perennial plants grow best in full sun and need good drainage and air circulation. English lavender (Lavendula angustifolia, USDA zones 5 through 11) is one of the most widely grown species for its flowers, fragrance and culinary uses. Gray-green leaves are narrow and plants reach 3 feet tall, bearing pink, purple or white flowers depending on the variety.

Other lavenders include French lavender (Lavandula dentata, USDA zones 8 through 11), which has broader, gray or green leaves with toothed edges. Scent and flower colors are more muted than for English lavender. Grown more for its ornamental flower spikes than for its fragrance, Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechys) has showy, petal-like pink or purple bracts on top of the flower spikes. Growing in USDA zones 8 through 11, the small, dark purple flowers are embedded in a flower head that resembles a miniature pine cone.