|
GOOD AND BAD INSECTS
IN YOUR
GARDEN
Biological control using good bugs to control the
bad is one of the
methods used in Integrated
Pest
Management.
Successful control using insect
predators requires that you recognize which are the good insects
and
which are the bad ones, know their biology and
relationships.
There Are
Two Kinds of Friendly Insects
In
Your Garden
These are the
predators
and
parasitoids.
●
Predators
Their
adults and larvae kill and eat the pest
insects.
●
Parasitoids
These lay eggs their
eggs directly on or
inside the pest. When the eggs hatch,
their larvae eat the pest
alive.
Some Common Predators Found
In Your
Garden
Lady beetles
Their
larvae feed on aphids, small insects,
mealy bugs, spider mites and scale insects.
Fireflies
Not only
are they pretty to look at night
but their larvae are useful because they
feed on cutworms, slugs, snails.
Lacewings
Their larvae feed on
aphids, mealy bugs,
scale insects, thrips and mites. Adults
feed on insects, nectar and pollen.
Ground beetles
There
are many
species of ground beetles.
The adults hide during the day and feeds
on insects and snails at night.
Spiders
They are aggressive, and
attack and eat a wide range of insects (this Includes
good insects).
Robber flies
The adults and larvae feed on many
kinds of soil dwelling insects.
Hover flies
Their larvae feed on aphids, thrips and small caterpillars.
True bugs
of the Order Hemiptera; consists of many
species such as
the stink bug, damsel bug,
pirate bug, ambush bug and the assassin bug.
They pierce their prey with their sharp mouth parts and suck out body fluids. They feed on a variety of pest insects such
as thrips, spider mites, insect eggs, caterpillars and small insect larvae.
Praying mantis feeds on many
different kinds of insects and larvae.
Predatory mites
eat plant-feeding
spider mites.
Hunting wasps
( Polistes spp. ) attack caterpillars.
The Parasitoid Friendly
Insects
These are the type of wasps that kill bad insects by laying
eggs on or inside
the bodies of caterpillars and
aphids.
The larvae kill the pest by feeding on the internal
tissues of the insect
or caterpillar. Certain species of parasitoid wasps
are fussy in their diet. They
will choose to
attack only a special type of species of
caterpillar or
insect.
Some common parasitic wasps are the Braconid,
Trichogramma, and
Ichneumon
wasps.
Two other different kinds of wasps, namely
Encarsia
formosa
and
Eretmocerus mundus,
specifically kill white fly larvae by laying their eggs inside the
bodies of the whiteflies. These are available commercially for purchase
for the greenhouse industry.
The Braconid wasp lays eggs inside the
tomato
hornworm.
The following reference articles have descriptions, sketches
and color
photographs of many of the insects mentioned.
Refer to these so that you
can tell the good from the bad.
Cornell Cooperative Extension. Home Grounds Fact Sheet.
Beneficial
Insects
for Natural Pest Control.
http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/PHC/benefici.htm
has good color photographs.
Garden
Articles Index
HOME
|
