April 8, 2014 | By: Cherleen Manette Aquino Green-Minded
A garden is a place that will always have bugs and insects. From the crawling insects to the flying ones, garden plants always attract insect pests. However, some of these insects are beneficial in the garden. While some bugs gobble on the garden plants and their fruits, another group of insects is coming to the rescue. They are the insects that gardeners would love to have in their garden.
The fairy-like green lacewing is the most effective predator. When it silently flusters in search of prey, green lacewings larvae devour on aphids, mealybugs, caterpillars, leafhoppers, insect eggs, and whiteflies while adult green lacewings eat up pollen, nectar, and honeydew.
There are two kinds of beetles that are very useful in the garden — ground beetles and lady beetles, also known as ladybug. Lady beetles, adults and larvae alike, eat all kinds of insects that gardeners loathe, including aphids, mealybugs, mites, thrips, and scale insects, and thrips.
Ground beetle larvae grow in the soil, and target slugs, cutworms, root maggots, and other bugs on the ground to complete the dirty work of pest control. A small number of species will climb up the stem of a plant and hunt for caterpillars or insect eggs.
Assassin bugs feed on almost everything, from beetles to caterpillars. However, be very careful in handling them as they bite really hard. Likewise, praying mantis can deal with even the most gigantic pests in the garden.
Despite their tiny physique, both adults and nymphs feed heartily on mites, aphids, and insect eggs. Similarly, minute pirate bugs, minute indeed at 1/16th of an inch, can consume a good amount of aphids, thrips, and mites. Adult minute pirate bugs have black bodies with white V-shape pattern on their backs.
When pests get in the garden, it is best to fight them off by introducing more pests. There is no need to use pesticides. Call the help of Mother Nature. Bring beneficial insects in the garden that will eat up all the insect bugs that ruin the beauty of the garden.
