Strawberrygirlie, dragonflies are very beneficial. They eat mosquitoes.
Fire ants build mounds on the ground. they like to hang out at electrical connections in the yard. Such as garden lights and water well points. They like sweets and greasy foods. Just like people.
Palmetto bugs,yuck, they seem to do just what you said.
I tend to believe that all insects were created to provide some ecological benefit. Sometimes when humans interfere,
we make a mess of it . Then we complain. Then, I am reminded that we do have to share our ecosystem with all creatures.

Felix

Hi strawberrygirlie,

You are right about cockroaches. I hate them in the house, but don't mind them in the yard as they help break down the organic matter that I spread all over the yard, and in my compost. Ugly, tho.

Not all red ants are fire ants. As a matter of fact, some of our native FL ants have red on them. They are about the same size as fire ants, but they walk faster. Their hills look like little volcanoes. Fire ants usually have a more spread out mound with several or many openings. Once you get stung by them you start to recognize them. I don't get fire ants in my yard, don't know why. I do have native ants and carpenter ants, black crazy ants. I like all those.

I have those little moths in my lawn also. Don't know what they are. Cute tho.

Dragonflies are huge mosquito and other flying bug eaters. They are definitely beneficial and beautiful.

Diversity of plants will work to attract beneficials. Of course, blooming plants will attract many pollinators. I'd like to think that natives attract beneficials, but I don't know if that's necessarily true. Beneficials are very sensitive to pesticides, so lack of pesticides will bring beneficials. Of course, pests will attract beneficials who eat them.

Thanks Felix and Anna. :-)

I had no idea about the electricity issue and red ants - I'll keep an eye out for them. I don't have them in the yard at this point. I've been bitten by them before and they hurt like a beastie.

I did see a few mounds this spring but with your explanation Anna I think they were regular non-harmful ants. They are gone now and haven't returned. I'll keep an eye out and watch my ants from now on. Also looks like I've got a bit of research ahead of me. Never thought I'd have to learn about ants. :-p

Anna, do you find that the white moth like insects cause any harm? I kind of like how they swirl about when I walk but I don't want to encourage a bad bug or an invasive bug.

In Portland I used absolutely no pesticides. I controlled the bug population with plants and natural means. I'm not too keen on chemicals because of how they tend to leech into the water tables and affect things beyond the intended target. For example, I used allium and marigolds to control aphids and ants. I encouraged butterflies by planting liatris. For honey bees, lots of various flowers that they could feed and be happy fat bees. I want to repeat that here if possible. I'm not a big chemical fan. The only time I ever used chemicals in Portland was to kill a hornets nest.

I am no expert but the mothy things in the grass may be from sod webworms. I remember reading an article about them at one time. We had them at the old house but not being one to care about the grass much, I just left them.

Cockroaches - just one word, eeeew. I leave them alone outside though. I caught the Boston terrier eating one the other day. Yuck.