Aphid attack

Just think, if you could reduce insects that damage plants in your garden or landscape with bugs that could help to eliminate these problem makers that would be a good thing. There actually are insects that eat other insects and are referred to by a couple of names. They are known as either predatory or beneficial insects. The horticulture industry is adapting to the control of problem insects by this type of pest management.

When we avoid spraying chemicals at the first sight of a bug and let some of our plants be nibbled on by some caterpillars that may become a beautiful butterfly, we can be rewarded by having more pollinators in the area. There are some insects that we do not want to get established and they are critters like bag worms that can seriously damage an evergreen tree in a matter of weeks. Others, like aphids, thrips and spider mites are also destroyers, they don’t give us anything but trouble, only destruction. There is a move on in horticulture to use beneficial insects in greenhouses to control a majority of the insect problems that have been controlled with chemicals in the past. Lady Bugs are one of the insects that actually eat aphids. Take a look at the photo and see the Lady Bug larvae that is doing a good job of controlling aphids. (Take a second look at the photo so you will be able to ID the larvae of the Lady Bug.) There are little tiny wasps and good mites that do not damage our plants but control the bugs that can harm them.

A suggestion you might want to consider is trying to identify any bugs you see feeding on your plants before taking action to eliminate them with chemicals. By reducing the chemicals we use we allow the beneficial insects to multiply and control the bugs that cause damage to our plants. This method of insect management does take time to get the balance needed for good control. Have the bugs that are causing you problems identified so you can determine what is happening and get suggestions for the best way to control the critters that are causing the damage.

There are some plants that are habitats for the beneficial insects and they multiply fairly rapidly on these plants due to the favorable environment. These plants are known as “banker plants”. One of these plants is soybeans that help the multiplication of a beneficial insect that attack thrips. Thrips can cause serious damage to many of the plants growing in our yards. Banker plants are grown in greenhouses to multiply some of these beneficial insects to control the problem bugs.

Finding ways to reduce insects that damage our plants without the use of as many chemicals will help increase the populations of our much needed pollinators. Learn to identify our “good bugs” so we don’t destroy them. Let’s work together to make where we live and work a better place.

30 years of growing

Meadow View Growers

www.meadowview.com

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