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ladybug beetles

Beneficial Insects: Attract the Good, the Voracious, and the Ugly to Your Garden

May 22, 2017

Early on, I learned that nature has many solutions to insect problems. My father, an entomologist, and grandfather, a horticulturalist, used chemicals only when all else failed—a philosophy that flew in the face of America’s love affair with pesticides in the 1960s. Today we call this approach to gardening Integrated Pest Management (IPM). 

Integrated Pest Management
According to Craig Mauney, Extension Specialist, IPM involves looking for long term solutions, not short-term fixes. “This requires us to be highly engaged gardeners,” Mauney says. “By that I mean we prevent problems by properly planting the right plants. We look for evidence of insect damage as plants grow and observe patterns of plant decline. When there are problems, we use mechanical, cultural, and biological tools first. Chemicals are a last resort.” 

Biological Management
North Carolina State University’s (NCSU) Extension Gardener Handbook defines biological management as “the process of reducing a pest population by using predators, parasitoids (often called parasites), or disease organisms that ordinarily occur in nature.” Why? Because in the great web of life, plant-feeding insects are food for other insects.

Matching Predator and Pest
Sounds good, but how does the home gardener know which beneficial insects to encourage? Good places to start are the Buncombe County Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers Helpline (828-255-5522) and NCSU’s Cooperative Extension website. Common beneficial predators in western North Carolina gardens include: ground beetles, ladybird beetles, lacewings, wheel bugs, hoverflies, and predatory mites. These active insects have long life-cycles and prey on smaller, weaker insects, usually devouring them in one gulp. 

Ladybug_Hippodamia-tredecimpunctata_Gilles-San-Martin_CC-BY-SA-2.0_Flickr
Ladybird or ladybug beetle devours aphids

Ladybird or Ladybug Beetle
According to the University of Florida’s Entomology Department, the name of these familiar red and black insects “has been used in England for more than 600 years…The lady for whom they were named was the Virgin Mary, and common names in other European languages have the same association (the German name Marienkafer translates to Marybeetle or ladybeetle).” How can the ladybird better help your garden? Some of the pests they help control include aphids, scales, whiteflies, and mites. 

Lacewing_Nell Kelley_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
Green lacewing

Lacewings
Lacewings are distinguished by roof-like, transparent wings that are held over the insect’s body. Known as “aphid lions,” the larvae of the lacewing emerge hungry and voraciously feed on aphids and other soft-bodied insects, such as mealybugs, scales, thrips, whiteflies, spider mites, leafhopper nymphs, and caterpillar eggs. According to Michigan State University, “natural control of aphids is possible when there is one (lacewing) larva per 70 aphids.” Not bad for an insect that grows to just a half-inch long! These beneficial insects are particularly sensitive to pesticides, however!

Wheel Bugs or Assassin Bugs
We know them as those sinister-looking, long-snouted, brown insects that appear in great numbers each spring, often in places where we don’t want them, like our homes and cars. One place we do want them is in the garden. These predators prefer dining on soft-bodied insects such as caterpillars, moths, aphids, and small beetles. Wheel bugs are not aggressive, but they can give you a painful bite if handled improperly. If you have to pick one up, use a paper towel to gently remove it to the great outdoors where it can protect your garden.

Wheel Bug Nymph_John Flannery_CC BY-SA 2.0_Flickr
Wheel bug nymph
Wheel Bug_John Flannery_CC BY-SA 2.0_Flickr
Wheel bug adult
Syrphid fly_Debbie Ross_NCState_AgExtAgent
Syrphid fly or hover fly

Hoverflies or Syrphid flies
They look like wasps but they’re really flies. The name—hover fly—comes from the way they hang in the air during flight. In their adult form, they are pollinators. In their larval form, they are predators. The larvae are often found among aphid colonies, one of their favorite foods. These doubly beneficial insects are sensitive to several broad-spectrum pesticides, especially organophosphates (OP) such as parathion and malathion.

Promoting Beneficial Insects
Want to attract beneficial insects? An important key is to plant so that there are blooms year-round in the garden. Opt for native plants that flower and include both flowering annuals and perennials to feed beneficial insects.

Article written by Janet Moore, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

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Categories Beneficial Insects Tags assassin bug, hover flies, integrated pest management, IPM, lacewings, ladybug beetles, syrphid fly

Beneficial Insects

August 5, 2013

In our gardens we have both beneficial and harmful insects and it’s important that we differentiate between them.  Indiscriminate use of a pesticide – too much, wrong material or wrong timing – can harm our garden more than help it.

Pollinators, of course, are indispensible. Other beneficial insects fall in two categories, predators like Lady Bug beetles which feed on various aphids and other small insects., and parasitoids.

Parasitoids are species whose immature stage develops on or within a single insect host, ultimately killing the host. The large green tomato hornworm caterpillar that can quickly defoliate a plant.  Sometimes they appear to have many small white cocoons growing from them. That means that a tiny wasp bored into the worm’s  body to lay her eggs and the larvae have been devouring the caterpillar from within. They’re getting ready to hatch and continue their beneficial work.

And then there’s the praying mantis that devour anything they encounter, good or bad, so their net contribution is probably negligible. But they’re interesting to have around so most of us call them friends, not foes.

Bottom line:  gardeners should identify any insect before they take any action. A good insect identification guide is an important tool to have in the shed.

The following is a short list of beneficial insects commonly found in the garden and landscape (courtesy of NCSU.edu):
Assassin bugs prey on aphids, caterpillars, beetles, leafhoppers,and other insects. They do not like to be handled.
AssassinBug2
Big-eyed bugs attack spider mites, thrips, aphids and other insect eggs.
 BigEyedBugs
Damsel bugs resemble assassin bugs. They feed on aphids, leafhoppers, mites and caterpillars.
 DamselBugs
Green lacewing, or aphid lion, is known to eat as many as 600 aphids.
GreenLacewings
Ground beetles are large, dark, and sometimes metallic.They feed along the ground on soft-bodied insects, especially at night.
 GroundBeetles
Lady beetle adults and larvae attack aphids, mites, insect eggs and small insects.
Lady Beetles
Micro- and mini- parasitic wasps can sting and lay eggs in caterpillars, aphids or insect eggs. The larvae consume their prey from within.
 TinyParasiticWasps
Praying mantis have a good reputation, but eat relatively few insects in the garden.
 Praying Mantis
Many stink bugs are pests, but predaceous stink bugs feed on beetles and caterpillars, both as adults and colorful nymphs.
PredaciousStinkBugs
Predatory mites move rapidly to catch and feed on their plant-eating counterparts. They are often white, tan, or orange.
PredatoryMites
Soldier beetle adults resemble fireflies and are attracted to milkweed, hydrangea, and goldenrod.  They eat aphids, caterpillars, mites, grasshopper eggs, and small beetles.
SoldierBeetles
The harmless Syrphid fly adults resemble bees, but the small larvae consume many aphids.
 SyrphidFlies
Minute pirate bugs attack thrips, spider mites, aphids and small insects.
 MinutePirateBug
Heavily bristled Tachinid flies lay eggs on caterpillars, beetle larvae, and bugs.
 TachinidFlies
Though often considered pests, these wasps and/or hornets feed heavily on caterpillars, flies, and other soft-bodied insects.
 WaspsHornets
Article written by Glenn Palmer, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

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Categories Beneficial Insects Tags beneficial insects, ladybug beetles, parasitoids, pollinators, predatory insects

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