Beneficial Insects: The Gardening Good Guys

Beneficial insects are my best buddies. I spend a lot of time up close and personal with all of the living creatures in the garden. (And, some of them are nicer than others, I’ve got to say.) The beneficial insects get much less credit than they are due, as far as I am concerned. When you hang out with the worms, lacewings and their larvae, ladybugs, nematodes and the mighty praying mantis, you learn what really makes the garden grow.

If you want to have a garden of giant vegetables, and you want to harvest the vegetables before another critter does, you might want to consider attracting the good guys. Welcoming beneficial insects into your garden helps you—they do the “dirty work” for you. (Ha ha, pun intended!) Here’s the skinny on what my insect friends can do for you, and what they need to thrive and jive in your garden.

Quit the Chemicals Already

Biographies of Beneficial Insects

Ladybugs: Almost everybody knows that ladybugs are the good guys, but they don’t really know why. There are over 475 different types of lady bugs (or lady bird beetles) in North America. The most helpful species is the mealybug destroyer, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri. The easiest way to attract them is to stop spraying chemicals, and they will naturally move in.

They destroy aphids, mites, and scale by devouring them for lunch!

Lacewings: Lacewing larvae are the unsung heroes of the beneficial garden insect world. The larvae look like teeny tiny alligators, and strike fear in the hearts of the insects they chew. They eat mites, aphids, whitefly and other insects.

The good thing about lacewing larvae is that they won’t fly away from your garden—they pretty much stay where they are and eat other insects that might be eating your plants.

Nematodes: I have a close, personal relationship with nematodes because they live in my neck of the woods, er, soil. Nematodes are tiny parasitic worms that eat soil-dwelling insect larvae from the inside out. Brutal! One of their favorite snacks is the Japanese Beetle, a pest that strikes fear in the hearts of most gardeners.

Nematodes like soil that is evenly moist (not soggy, not dry—they are the goldilocks of the soil), and warmish-at least sixty degrees. They are fairly resistant to insecticides, and they reproduce in the soil, so they maintain a good population in the soil, year-round.

A small nematode population is a good thing, but too many will spoil the garden, because they also eat roots. Read the other article on nematode control. Minute Pirate Bugs and Big Eyed Bugs: It’s a bug eat bug world when you introduce these hungry critters in the garden. Their favorite meal consists of thrips, caterpillars, aphids and a host of other pests. They can fly, but prefer to hang out in the garden, eating.

Praying Mantis: What is he praying for? Answer: For more of the bad bugs in your garden for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Named for their prominent front legs that are bent as if praying, these guys are formidable predators with voracious appetites for any garden pest they can catch. You can buy egg cases online or at many garden centers. Place them in your garden in early spring and wait for the beneficial carnage to begin.

Again, if you want to attract these beneficial insects to your garden, first stop spraying chemicals. Many of these insects will discover that your garden is a pretty cool place to hang out and will stop by for a visit, maybe even want to live there. If you find yourself needing more help, you can always mail-order the insect eggs or larvae. (Yes—you can mail-order anything, even insect eggs.)

Happy gardening,

Geefrank

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