Other beetles are also beneficial. A short list of your beetle friends would include ground beetles, rove beetles, hister beetles, tiger beetles and fireflies. Like lady beetles, both the adults and the larvae prey on pests including insect larvae, slugs and snails. Other beneficial species include dragonflies, lacewings and praying mantis. Dragonflies catch mosquitoes, gnats and other flying pests in great numbers.
Lacewings are effective against aphids, scale insects and thrips among others.
Many of these are now available commercially including lady beetles, lacewings, praying mantis and parasitic wasps. However, whether your buy beneficial insects or not, the first step is to make sure that your garden is friendly and ready to receive them. This means, as we have often repeated here, that you need to wean yourself from a dependency on chemical sprays. It also helps to make sure that you include a diverse range of plants as hosts for beneficial insects. Don't get too upset about seeing a few weeds in your garden.