OK, aphids might not sound very appetising to us, but they’re a crucial source of nutrition for a host of creatures, including spiders, ladybirds and other beetles, and lacewing and hoverfly larvae. In turn, aphids and their predators are food for some of our most familiar birds and animals, such as robins and blue tits, frogs and toads, and hedgehogs. That means that these tiny, sap-sucking insects play a vital part in the food chain.

Swifts, the arrow-shaped birds that whoosh screaming over our homes in the summer at speeds of up to 70mph, are one of the birds that depend on aphid-eating insects – and they need our help.

UK swifts have declined by 60% in the last 25 years and the huge decline in insect numbers is one of the biggest challenges they face. It’s the same problem for some of our other birds, like house martins. Although you won’t see swifts down on the ground eating insects – they do everything on the wing – what we do in our gardens and on our lawns and verges has an impact on the swifts in our skies.

Gardens are ecosystems on our doorsteps. Encouraging a diversity of species and using products that don’t harm that ecosystem can make a real difference. With some simple steps and a bit of love and care, we can create spaces that are great places to be for both ourselves and for wildlife. Even if you can’t learn to love aphids, you can learn to love feeding them to their predators!

So what can we can do at home to help?

Wild About Gardens, from The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society, has lots of ideas and tips, including:

• Let a patch of grass grow long to encourage different plant species to grow, help insects to thrive and create feeding opportunities for birds and small mammals.
   
• Create a ‘bog garden’ to provide valuable habitat for frogs and a wealth of insects, as well as nesting materials for swallows and house martins.
   
• Add a swift box to an existing house or include a swift brick in a new build.
   
• To tempt aphids away from your vegetables and other things you don’t want them to eat, try companion planting. It’s an organic way to help get a natural balance in your garden, which aids pollination and keeps the number of aphids and other veg-loving creatures down. For example, you can lure aphids away from your beans by growing nasturtium. Some companion plants have strong scents that confuse aphids and others attract aphids’ predators.

Get your free Wild About Gardens guide.