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beneficial
insects
insects
perform a whole host of activities beneficial to our gardens
and the environment as a whole. They are an important source
of food for many animals, such as birds, fish, and frogs.
They provide valuable products for man in the form of honey,
beeswax, and silk. Insects are vital pollinators, essential
to most of our food crops, flowers, and other plants. Many
insects are important predators of pests in our gardens.
They also play a critical role in the recycling of materials,
eliminating waste materials, and keeping our soils healthy.
In fact, of the approximately 1 million species of insects,
only a small fraction are considered pests by man. Yet insects
continue to be undervalued by man. They are lumped together
as creepy crawlies and their mere sight can send people
flying to get the spray can of insecticide.
We
need to learn to value insects for the vital roles they
play in keeping our gardens healthy. Learn to recognize
the good guys because they are essential allies in keeping
the bad guys in check. Work with them in creating a well-balanced
vibrant garden.
know
your allies | rallying
the troops
know
your allies
- (words will link to large image of insect)
| Insect |
Benefit |
| ladybug
|
eats
aphids, scale mites, mealybugs, whiteflies, eggs of
some other insects |
|
praying mantis |
eats
aphids, leafhoppers, chinch bugs, crickets, caterpillars |
| lacewing |
eats
aphids, spidermites, leafhoppers, thrips, moth eggs,
red mites, caterpillars, mealybugs |
| syrphid
(or hover) fly |
pollinates;
larvae eat aphids, mealybugs, thrips, leafhoppers |
| robber
fly |
eats
flying insects such as beetles, butterflies, leafhoppers
and grasshoppers; larvae eat eggs and grubs of pests
in soil |
| tachinid
fly |
larvae
eat larvae of browntail and gypsy moths, sawflies, cutworms,
armyworms, Mexican bean beetles, grasshoppers, European
corn borers, Japanese beetles, tent caterpillars |
| ground
beetle |
eats
slugs and many pest larvae such as gypsy moth larvae,
cankerworms, armyworms, cutworms, snails, |
| rove
beetle |
eats
aphids, springtails, nematodes, fly eggs, maggots |
| soldier
beetle |
eats
grasshopper eggs, cucumber beetles, an array of caterpillars |
| tiger
beetle |
eats
small insects, spiders |
| ambush
bug |
eats
mites, scales, thrips |
| assassin
bug |
eats
caterpillars, aphids, Mexican bean beetle, Colorado
potato beetle, Japanese beetle, leafhopper, hornworm,
flies |
| big-eyed
bug |
eats
leafhoppers, aphids, Mexican bean beetles and eggs of
other insects, lygus bugs, spider mites, mealybugs |
| damsel
bug or damsel fly |
eats
mites, aphids, leafhoppers, larvae, other small plant
pests |
| soldier
bug |
eats
Mexican bean beetles, cabbage loopers, cabbageworms |
| dragonfly |
eats
mosquito larvae and adults |
| parasitic
wasp (most are tiny and don't sting), such as trichogramma,
braconid, chalcid and ichneumon |
destroys
the eggs of cabbage loopers, cutworms, tomato hornworm,
aphids, scale, mealybugs, armyworm, gypsy moth, alfalfa
caterpillars, spruce budworm |
| predatory
wasp (is larger and makes a loud buzzing). (Solitary
wasps such as the mud dauber are nearly harmless to
people as they don't sting easily. Paper or social wasps,
such as hornets and yellow jackets, create large colonies
which they defend and are therefore more likely to sting.) |
kills
flies, caterpillars, other larvae |
rallying
the troops
To attract predatory insects to your garden to help with
pest control:
- Don't
use pesticides.
Pesticides rid your garden of many of the beneficial insects
which are necessary for a healthy garden. Instead attract
predatory insects and other animals such as birds
to your garden and let them control any pests. Even organic
pesticides can have negative impacts on beneficial insect
populations.
- Plant
a variety of flowering plants, especially those with small
flowers rich in nectar. Although many of the larvae are
predators, these will supply the nectar and pollen necessary
to many of the adult forms and provide safe places for
resting and laying eggs.
- Particularly
attractive are herbs allowed to flower, such as coriander,
fennel, dill, lavender, thyme, mint, and parsley.
- Flowers
of the composite or daisy family are also appealing to
beneficials. Examples include goldenrod, daisies, coneflowers,
thistle, ironweed, sunflowers, coreopsis, and black-eyed
Susan.
- Intercrop.
Mix up your plants so that those that attract beneficial
insects are near those that need protection.
- Place
your plants close together to provide a moist, shaded
environment for beneficials who dehydrate easily.
- Provide
a source of water for beneficial insects by putting out
a shallow dish of water with stones to allow them dry
places to land.
- Plant
ground cover to provide shadowy, sheltered spots for spiders.
- Keep
your soil healthy by adding compost
to allow soil organisms to thrive.
- Attract
beneficial insects to your yard rather than buying and
releasing them. Releasing insects may rid your yard of
naturally occurring beneficials through competition and
predation (some beneficial insects, such as praying mantises,
feed on both pests and other beneficial insects). In addition,
some insects, such as certain ladybugs, are migratory
and, once released, quickly move on to other locations.
- Invest
in a good insect guide so that you can accurately identify
trouble makers and beneficials
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