Insects play an important role in the garden. Most insects are beneficial or benign, however, some may cause damage.
Even those who may do a little harm do not necessarily warrant any pesticide action. Be sure to know what your insect is and its life cycle before treating. Always follow the directions on label.
Top Ten Beneficial Insects
Green Lacewings - Larvae feed on aphids
Lady Beetles- Eat aphids, scale insects, thrips, mealybugs, and mites.
Assassin Bugs - Feed on everything from beetles to caterpillars
Praying Mantids - Generalist predator and does not discriminate on what it eats.
Minute Pirate Bugs - Eat aphids, mites, and thrips.
Ground Beetles - Eat slugs, root maggots, cutworms, and other pests on the ground.
Syrphid Flies - The maggots eat aphids and the adults pollinate flowers.
Soldier Beetle - Soldier beetle larvae feed on the eggs and larvae of beetles, grasshoppers, moths and other insects, and adult soldier beetles feed on aphids and other soft-bodied insects.
Big-Eyed Bugs - Feed on mites, aphids, and insect eggs
Damsel Bugs - Feed on aphids, caterpillars, thrips, leafhoppers, and other soft-bodied insects.
