You no doubt know the ladybug is your friend when it comes to combating aphids on your plants. There are many other beneficial insects that also will be your allies if you can just attract them to your yard. Umbelliferous plants like dill are especially attractive to parasitic wasps such as trichogramma wasps, pediobius wasps, and braconid wasps. These insects parasitize the eggs of insect pests such as codling moth, gypsy moth, and fruitworms. Buckwheat flowers attract syrphid flies, which then feed on aphids.
Green lacewings are especially fond of nectar from fennel, caraway, dill, red cosmos, and tansy.
They feed on aphids, caterpillars, and spider mites. Ladybugs have a fondness for euonymus, marigolds, tansy, and yarrow. You might also include some wild parsnip, Queen Anne's Lace, caraway, lamb's-quarters, evening primrose, coriander, or goldenrod in your plantings. Goldenrod alone has been found to attract more than 75 species of beneficials. Be sure to plant the annuals early in the season so the beneficial predators will be in place when the pests arrive.