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| Top 5 Beneficial Bugs for Gardens |
Some folks think life would be
more pleasant if bugs were wiped off the face of the earth, but gardeners know
better. Even though bugs can be real pests, they are important members of the
environment, serving humanity by spreading pollen that ensures we can put food
on the table and turning millions of tons of organic material into rich soil
that supports plant growth. Most importantly for gardeners, many beneficial
bugs work hard to keep bad bugs away. Read on for a list of the top five
beneficial bugs for gardens.
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| Bees |
1. Bees – Bees, especially honeybees, are the world’s most important pollinator and
hundreds of fruits, vegetables and flowers depend on this hard working
beneficial insect for their very existence. Additionally, bees support forage
plants that sustain livestock, beef and dairy cattle. Of course, don’t forget
the product of their labor: delicious, highly nutritious honey.
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| Ladybugs |
2. Ladybugs –
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| Braconid Wasps |
3. Braconid wasps – Not all wasps are bad. Braconid wasps are significant garden allies. The
adult female lays its eggs in unlucky host insects via a tiny tube called the
ovipositor. The eggs hatch and feed inside the host until the host insect dies.
Braconid wasps are an extremely beneficial means of biological control of pests
such as caterpillars, hornworms, squash bugs, moths and aphids, but they don’t
sting humans unless they are seriously threatened.
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| Beetle 4. Beetles – Ground beetles are voracious bugs that dine on pests that live in the soil, including cabbage maggots, cutworms, corn earworms, Colorado potato beetles, slugs and snails. This large family includes over 40,000 species around the world, with more than 2,000 species found (so far) in the United States. |
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| Lacewings |
5. Lacewings – Lacewings may look like delicate little moths,
but the adults and larvae have an appetite for aphids, as well as mealybugs,
thrips, mites, whiteflies, small caterpillars and scale. In fact, these fierce
little predators are often known as “aphid lions.”
BY: Mary H. Dyer
