7 Beneficial Insects

7 Beneficial Insects

Danger lurks in a backyard garden. Aphids, cutworms, mealybugs and other pests are preying on your vegetables and flowers. Who’s an organic gardener going to turn to for help? Forget nasty, expensive chemicals.

To conserve biodiversity, we need to work across all landscapes. Natural areas can offer sanctuary for pollinators and serve as movement corridors. Yards and gardens have an important role to play in making landscapes hospitable. Herbicide and pesticide application can harm already threatened pollinators. Use of beneficial insects in controlling garden pests can help support native pollinators.

Gardeners turn to biological control for help and to reduce or eliminate the need for chemical pesticides. These insects are the natural enemies of garden pests. The problem with broad spectrum conventional pesticides is that they not only kill the “bad bugs,” they rub out the “good bugs,” too. A garden without natural predators means a world of insects gone wild. There’s nothing left to keep pest levels in check.

If effectiveness isn’t a good enough reason, maybe safe food will cause you to try insect predators & parasites. Interest in organic gardening and a growing demand for pesticide-free foods has exploded in recent years. Even carefully washed vegetables can still contain the chemicals that were sprayed on them at the farm. Families want to know that the food they eat is safe.

What about the home garden?

The answer is to take a common sense approach to pest control:

 Determine your tolerance level. This level, called the economic threshold in commercial farming, will vary greatly between gardeners. How much damage is a given pest creating and what is it worth for you to get rid of it? Sometimes hand-picking a pest or blasting it off a plant with water will suffice – and it’s free! Always remember: not all pests cause enough damage to require action. Again, it’s a matter of common sense.

 Let bugs do your dirty work. Release biocontrols, both as a preventative and as a control measure. Also, attract natural predators to your garden by planting a row or border of “insectary plants.” Fennel, calendula, coriander, dill, and cosmos are all considered good plants for attracting beneficials.

 But like any good commander, be aware of the effects of your actions and try to minimize costs and casualties. If treatment is required, begin with methods that are least damaging to natural controls and the environment.

Catalog of the 7 Beneficial Insects

Green Lacewing Green Lacewing
Most of the beautiful adult lacewings feed on pollen, nectar, and honeydew. Green lacewing larvae, however, are voracious predators. Nicknamed "aphid lions," the larvae do an impressive job of devouring aphids by the dozens. Larvae hunt for soft-bodied prey, using their curved, pointed mandibles to stab their victims.
Ladybugs Lady Beetles
Everyone loves a ladybug, but gardeners hold them in especially high regard. Lady beetles eat aphids, scale insects, thrips, mealybugs, and mites—all the pests gardeners despise. With lady beetles, you get more bang for your buck, because both the adults and the larvae feed on pests. Lady beetle larvae look like tiny, colorful alligators. Learn to recognize them, so you don't mistake them for pests
Praying Mantis Praying Mantis
Contrary to popular belief, it is not illegal to harm a praying mantis. But why would you want to? Praying mantids can handle even the largest pests in the garden. You need a good eye to spot one​ because their coloration and shape provide them with perfect camouflage among the garden plants. When the nymphs hatch, they're so hungry they sometimes eat their siblings. In fact, praying mantids are generalist predators, meaning they're just as likely to eat a helpful lady beetle as they are to catch a caterpillar.
Damsel Fly Damsel Flies
Damsel flies use thickened front legs to grab their prey, which includes aphids, caterpillars, thrips, leafhoppers, and other soft-bodied insects. Nymphs, too, are predators and will feast on both small insects and their eggs. With their dull brown coloring, damsel bugs blend into their environment quite well. They look similar to assassin bugs but are smaller.
Green Ground Beetle Ground Beetle
Don't overlook the ground beetles in your garden. Lift a stepping stone, and you might see one skittering away. The dark-colored adults often have a metallic sheen, but it's really the larvae that do the dirty work of pest control. Ground beetle larvae develop in the soil, and prey on slugs, root maggots, cutworms, and other pests on the ground. A few species will venture up a plant stem and hunt for caterpillars or insect eggs.
Assassin Bug, Zelus renardii Assassin Bugs
Assassin bugs know how to take care of business. These true bugs use trickery, disguises, or just plain brute force to capture a meal. Many assassin bugs specialize in certain kinds of prey, but as a group, assassins feed on everything from beetles to caterpillars. They're fun to watch, but be careful handling them because they bite—hard.
Syrphid Fly Flies
Syrphid flies often wear bright markings of yellow-orange and black and can be mistaken for bees. Like all flies, though, the syrphids have just two wings, so take a closer look if you see a new "bee" in your garden. Syrphid maggots crawl on garden foliage, searching for aphids to eat. They're quite good at squeezing in the curled up leaves where aphids hide, too. As an added bonus, the adults will pollinate your flowers. Syrphid flies are also called hover flies​ because they tend to hover over flowers.
Beneficial Species
Composting
Fertilize & Mulch
Garden Plans
Garden Pests
Lawn Management
Pollination
Quick Tips
Soil Management
Specialty Gardens
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