On a balcony or in a garden, many insects you meet are on your side. Colorado State University Extension describes several common predators and parasites that feed on plant pests.
Lady beetles and their larvae eat large numbers of aphids; some species specialise in mites, scale or mealybugs. The larvae surprise people: they are long, dark and flecked with orange or yellow, nothing like the round adults. Green lacewing larvae are light brown with large hooked jaws and hunt aphids and other soft-bodied insects. Hoverfly larvae also eat aphids, while the adults look like small bees or wasps but are harmless.
Tiny parasitoid wasps lay eggs in pests such as aphids and caterpillars. Predatory mites hunt spider mites, and many spiders catch small insects.
Broad-spectrum sprays kill these helpers along with the pests. Learning to recognise them is the first step to leaving them alone.
Key points
- Lady beetle and lacewing larvae are voracious aphid predators.
- Hoverflies look like bees but are harmless and useful.
- Broad sprays kill helpful insects too.
Try this
Look up pictures of lady beetle and lacewing larvae in the reference section so you recognise them if they appear on your plants.
Check yourself
Read more in the reference
Sources
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