In the world of gardening and agriculture, many insects and other organisms are considered pests, but others are helpful, not harmful: They are beneficials.
Many beneficials are insects or arachnids. For example, ladybugs, praying mantises, and some spiders eat insects that damage crops, such as aphids and boll weevils. Bees and butterflies are considered beneficials because they are important pollinators. Earthworms are beneficials because they help keep the soil healthy for growing plants. Many organic gardeners and farmers rely on beneficials to avoid using chemical pesticides and to grow food and flowers in a more natural way. All in all, beneficials are our gardens' good guys.