Beneficial Insects Archives

The Assassin bug – you might not be too thrilled with the idea of armies of assassins lurking about your garden, but you should be. Assassin bugs from the Reduviidae

Often referred to as the Gardener’s Apprentice, ladybugs are often a welcome sight around gardens and crops. These brightly-colored insects voraciously devour and eat harmful aphids that damage your fruits

The soldier beetle is very common in the garden and sometimes incidentally invade your home. These abundant beetles are sometimes called leather wings because of their soft clothlike wing covers. They earned

There are approximately 2000 different species of Tiger Beetles, all belonging to the order, Coleoptera. You will find the Tiger Beetle all around the world, and about 100 different species in North

Have you ever wondered – What Do Ladybugs Eat? For generations, children have been taught the warning in the old Mother Goose rhyme, “Lady Bug, lady bug, fly away home;your house

Minute Pirate Bugs (scientific name: Orius insidiosus) are all around us most of the time, and we don’t even notice them. These tiny black bugs are beneficial insects, abundant in yards, gardens,

Did you ever notice the Hoverfly in your garden? Those tiny, yellow and black flying insects in your garden. When first observing these beneficial insects many wonder if they are honeybees, wasps

If you grow plants you’ve heard of the Aphid pest, but what is an Aphid Midge? What Is An Aphid Midge? Simply put, the aphid midge (Aphidoletes aphidimyza) is a good

You walk onto your front porch. A praying mantis perches on a porch rail or table. It appears something like an odd looking animated baby string bean, propped up with

Here’s the deal on Beneficial Insects (aka good garden bugs). You may think all insects are pests or bugs, but that simply is not the case. There are many beneficial

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri may be a handful of words for an insect, but those who work in the gardens know it by their more familiar name and trait – Mealybug Destroyer!

The Tachinid fly is one of the “good” flies. We generally think of flies as being nothing but a nuisance. However, you may be surprised to know of how many

No need to search for Ichneumon Wasps in the garden. When you spend quiet time simply observing your garden, you will notice lots of different insects going about their business

Are you familiar with the braconid wasp? If you have ever seen a tomato hornworm struggling to carry what looks like a load of white rice on its back and

Green lacewings are small, delicate insects and members of the group of insects termed as “net-winged.” There are many different species of these dainty green creatures which you’ll find in

Ladybugs, the little round red color bug with black spots, oh, who cannot identify lady bug? We all have known it from childhood days! They are the most desired beneficial

When you hear the word, “insects” do you like many gardeners immediately want to run for the bug spray and pest control? Not all bugs are bad. In fact, there

Like it or not… if you grow plants, somewhere down the line you’ll have to deal with pest control. Integrated Pest Management or IPM is a strategy many growers and