insect pests
Aphid pests
Aphids are little delicate bugs that suck juices from plants. One won’t cause any harm, but aphids multiply at and awesome rate and can coat leaves, buds and even stems in record time. They come in reds, yellows, greens, whites, blacks and browns. Colorful though they might be, they are also messy and destructive.
Some aphids will produce winged members when colonies get too big or the host plant becomes to weak and these flyers wing away to establish new colonies. Because aphids pests exude a sticky sweet liquid, ants love them and are happy to transport members to ever widening locations in order to extend the colonies. Ants actually will ‘farm’ these insects, moving them from one plant to another. More aphids feast on your plants. More sweet good stuff for the ants. More ants everywhere. More ailing plants. Yuck.
Aphids have weak little legs and if knocked off a plant with a stream of water, they are unable to climb back up again. Score a point for the gardener this time. Unfortunately, by the time an infestation is noted, there are often too many aphids to wash off. If you find an infestation is getting too widespread to wash off with water alone, try using one of the insecticidal soaps. Usually blasting with water and using the soap is enough to keep these insects pests under control.
The best way to keep aphids from getting ahead of you in the garden is to keep inspecting your plants. Keep a watch on tender, new, green shoots and the hidden undersides of leaves. New growth is most susceptible. Another natural control is to allow ladybugs, lacewings and other predators to feast on your aphids. Usually, so long as the aphid populations don’t grow too widespread, Mother Nature sends some of these voracious little aphid-munchers along to balance out the population. Keeping these friendly predators safe to do their jobs in the garden is one good reason to avoid heavy poisons in the garden whenever possible.
In short, vigilance, a squirt of water, horticultural insecticidal soap, and some help from pest-eating insects is usually enough to keep aphid pests from getting out of control in your garden.
The mealy bug and the mealy bug destroyer
Two insects in warmer climates are enemies, yet they look do similar they can easily be confused. The mealy bug is a small insect much like a large aphid, but covered with a thick scaly white powdery meal. It moves very slowly and tends to cluster on leaves and in the leaf joints. This insect will suck juices from your treasured plants and, if an infestation is bad enough, can actually kill the plant. It is found on both indoor and outdoor plants.
The mealy bug destroyer (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri) looks just like a Jurassic version of the mealy bug in its larval form. It is much bigger, often up to ½” in length, white, scaly, and powdery. It is also much more active, moving around at a respectable speed for its size as compared to the lethargic mealy bug. This fellow is actually the larva (immature form) of a small ladybug which is less than ¼” big with a blackish body and a dull orange head. Either larva or adult is as much friend as the mealy bug is enemy. It will devour the smaller insect saving you on treatment time and chemical expense. If you see the big fellow (or his little mom), try not to be repulsed by the intimidating body. You want this insect in your garden. (Personally, I have found the mealy bug destroyer most frequently on trees, though it is supposed to be an equal-opportunity predator.) Populations vary with the weather as our winters here can be cool enough to kill off most of the population of the mealy bug destroyer. Fortunately, most of the nasty little mealy bugs fare poorly in cooler winters, too.
The mealy bug is only 1/4” or smaller and is white and “mealy” or covered with a thick scaly white powder over a pink body. You can often see the long pair of white filament-like tendrils protruding from one end of the body. Mealy bugs usually cluster in colonies, the younger ones being smaller and pinker.
The mealy bug destroyer is much larger, friskier, and mimics its prey with a thick waxy white coating that sometimes curls.
The Earwig or Pincerbug
Like most children, I used to have a dread of these evil creatures armed with formidable tools of torture and likely to seek entry in the ears of the unsuspecting. Even the common names of ‘Earwig’ or ‘Pincerbug’ instilled horror. Of course, the fears were ridiculous. Yet, even today, these skittering insects can still make me cringe. Although they can do some light damage in the garden, they do not merit the hatred they inspire. They will nibble at tender shoots, soft fruits and vegetables and seedlings. They like to hide in shady spots like flowers and buds and come wriggling out at alarming speeds as if to attack when they are disturbed. But despite the unappealing behaviors of these scary looking insects, they actually do more good than harm. Most earwigs, especially the striped earwig (Labidura riparia) common in my area, are heavy predators on pests such as aphids and immature destructive caterpillars. They are especially helpful in ridding fruit trees of aphid insects. Since they have no strength in their pincers, they are incapable of inflicting injury of any sort on humans or pets.
I prefer to leave earwigs or, if you prefer, pincerbugs — alone and to tolerate the occasional repulsion they cause me. If they are becoming too destructive to your corn or other crops, you can lay down a board under which they’ll hide and collect them early in the morning when they’re still inactive. Heavier insecticides are an alternative but should be kept away from edibles. Since poisons are likely to destroy other helpful insects and pollute your mini-environment, I personally feel it is preferable to deal with the emotional dislike and simply leave the insects alone to hunt out more damaging insects.
Also see:
Insect pests that attract ants
Green Lacewing (Chrysopidae)
Green Lacewings are garden friends
Like the Ladybug, the larva of the Lacewing is even more efficient at pest control than the adult. In fact, some species are predators only in the larval form, the adult lacewing feeding on nectar, honeydew and pollen. Predatorial lacewings in both stages of growth will consume many times their weight in aphids, mites, mealybugs, whiteflies and other insect pests. The Lacewing adult is a delicate green insect with smoothly rounded transparent wings outlined and veined green. The larva is usually a pale to medium brown color with tiny black or dark brown markings.
You’ll be more likely to notice the adult green lacewing at night when it is attracted to the light from electric bulbs. Sometimes I’ll find them taking a nap on a window screen. These delicate looking insects are definitely friends to your garden so treat them with respect. I must admit one larva proved its voracious habits by trying to take a bite out of my hand some time ago. I was surprised at the sting the little critter caused, but it left no damage. Since then, I’ve decided it is better to let these insects feed on my garden pests instead of me.
Although it is less well known than the popular Ladybug, the Green Lacewing is equally welcome in the garden. The larval form even looks a little like a light-colored form of the Ladybug larvae, both immature insect forms resembling little alligators.
So, if you see either the adult forms or the larvae of the Green Lacewing (Chrysopidae) in your garden, let it go to work. These insects can help keep your garden free of troublesome insect pests. Keeping a close eye on your good insects will help you make better choices when it comes to using a lot of insecticides in your garden — especially with edible plants.
Don’t confuse these garden pals with the destructive Lacebug (Tingidae). The Green Lacewing looks entirely different. The Lacebug has a triangular shape and textured, glass-like wings. The latter is a pest that will suck juices from woody plants and is decidedly not a friend!
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