attracting wildlife
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
