Beneficial Bugs to Celebrate National Insect Appreciation Day

 

National Insect Appreciation Day here in the U.S. is on June 8th! What better way to celebrate than with another blog appreciating the bugs we love to keep around?

In past blogs, we’ve explored the difference between nuisance and destructive pests. This time, we’re on the more positive side of insect education with this post all about beneficial bugs!

There are two main ways that bugs can be “beneficial,” especially in your garden:

• Predators: These insects benefit your garden by killing, eating, or parasitizing pests that would destroy your plants. 
• Pollinators: These bugs benefit your garden by aiding in plant reproduction

Now, let’s get into our list of the best beneficial bugs!

 

Our Favorite Beneficial Bugs

Bees

Bees are famous for their pollination power, and the honeybee species is the reason we have honey; what’s not to love about that? Learn more about all the many things to love about bees in our previous blog post, Fun Facts to Celebrate World Bee Day!

Ladybugs

Ladybugs (not Asian Lady Beetles, which are an invasive species here and will overpower native ladybug populations) are a garden’s best friend because their preferred prey is aphids, which, left uncontrolled, are every gardener’s nightmare. They don’t just tackle problems with aphids, but they also prey on leaf destroyers like leafhoppers, mealybugs, scale bugs, spider mites, and whiteflies.

Praying Mantids

The praying mantis is one of the “apex predators of the insect world,” because they will square up with any insect and eat them, including other mantids. This is a good thing when you’ve got an infestation of a destructive, hungry pest in your garden, like certain species of caterpillars, beetles, mites, aphids, and flies. However, they don’t discriminate when it comes to food and will just as quickly make a beneficial insect their next victim.

Spiders

Much like Praying Mantids, spiders’ role in the garden as a beneficial bug (not an insect, but an arachnid) is to prey on the bugs you don’t want there. The difference is that spiders’ palates are sometimes more refined, making certain species well-suited for killing particular types of garden-harming pests. 

Although many people fear spiders, most spiders do not pose a threat to people or plants.

Butterflies and Moths

Even though lepidopterans (butterflies and moths) can have garden-damaging appetites in their larval stage, they’re essential pollinators when they’re imagos (in their final stage of development). Having a balanced population of them in your garden is a good thing; infestations of freshly hatched caterpillars are the problem. 

Predatory Mites

Although mites aren’t usually welcome by gardeners and plant owners, you can actually buy a special kind of predatory mite to release onto your plants as a pesticide-free solution to protecting your plants from the spider mites and thrips. They eat the plant-harming bugs and leave your plants alone!

 

You Pest Control That Benefits Your Life

We love beneficial insects at Vulcan Termite & Pest Control; we see them as great helpers in our goal to keep your property safe from pests!

If any insect is interfering with your comfort, safety, or quality of life, give us a call at 205-663-4200 or contact us online. We can safely eliminate harmful pests and implement short- and long-term prevention solutions. Our team has proudly served families in Alabama since 1965, and we would love to help you, too!