There are 1.5 million types of insects discovered thus far in the world. Our gardens, here in the Mid-Atlantic region, have over 30 significant varieties. According to Purdue University, approximately 400 million bugs reside on the average acre of land. But don’t worry; our urban gardens probably have closer to one million bugs per acre. And, of all those bugs, 97 percent are good guys—innocent bystanders, good for the environment, and yummy meals for wildlife.
As our gardens awake from the cold winter, so too will the bugs. So, let’s consider and be grateful for some of the lowliest helpers in our garden, bugs. First, I’ll review the types of good-bugs we can count on. Then I’ll list the most common and how they help our gardens. Finally,
I’ll mention some of the bad-guys to watch out for now that spring is almost here.
There are four types of useful insects:
Pollinators: Those dear spreaders of fruitfulness, bring joy to trees, shrubs, and flowers. Most pollinators can be identified by their hairy or furry appendages—legs, mandibles, proboscises. Predators: These bugs can be carnivores or herbivores. They attack and eat bad-bugs. Parasitizers: They use bad-bugs as hosts to their eggs and larvae. When the eggs hatch, the larvae devour the host. (Yup, pretty icky.) Decomposers: Living underground, they nibble their way through the roots and clotted soil, breaking down and aerating our garden.
Now let’s review a dozen regional, friendly bugs and how they help:
Assassin Bugs: Let’s start with the really tough garden defenders. These bugs eat all kinds of destructive insects. There are several types of Assassin Bugs common to our region. They’re often grayish and have a hard shield on their backs. Caution: They bite if handled; they are, after all, assassins!
Beetles: Some beetles are good guys. The Ground Beetle and Soldier Beetle eat caterpillars, nematodes, silverfish, slugs, and weevils. (The Japanese beetle is, of course, one of the bad guys.)
Butterflies: Our lovely Swallowtails, Monarchs, and Eastern Tiger Butterflies are delightful pollinators and decorative visitors to our gardens.
Dragonflies: These graceful insects are quite common here. Their graceful appearance belies their voracious predatory nature! They eat a lot of bad bugs, grabbing those bugs with their long legs, picking them right out of the air.
Earwigs: Yup, those ugly, little guys with pincers on their rearends are good guys too. They’re omnivores, eating nematodes, slugs, plant lice, and other insects that attack our fruit trees and vegetable garden.
Hoverflies and Robber Flies: Unlike the common, annoying Black Fly, these two varieties don’t bite people unless they are attacked. They eat bad bugs and pollenate too. Busy fellows.
Green and Silver Lacewings: These attractive pest-hunters eat aphids, whiteflies, mites, leafhoppers, and caterpillars. (Let’s hope they’ll only choose to devour the moth caterpillars and not the butterfly caterpillars.)
Ladybugs: Hungry and cute too; Ladybugs eat scales, mealy bugs, mites, and aphids. (Each Ladybug eats on average 50–60 aphids per day!)
Parasitic Wasps: The larvae of these very tiny wasps eat their hosts, and those hosts are bad bugs.
Praying Mantis: These leggy insects are sometimes friends; they eat bad bugs, but they also eat butterflies, bees, and even hummingbirds! Their good diet includes moths, beetles, and flies. (Maybe they’ll be satisfied with the latter and leave the beauties alone.)
Spiders: We’ve all seen busy spiders catch bugs and wrap them up tight, saved for later. When possible, try to leave the beautiful spider webs, even when we’re tempted to sweep them out of the garden-shed’s corners and off the boxwood.
Solitary Bees: Yes, this is a species. They’re non-aggressive, stinging only when attacked. They pollinate our plants, but they are an endangered species.
Now, let me give a few accolades to a species that isn’t a bug, but is a good guy and does a lot to improve our gardens.
Earthworms: These ugly fellows are busy all year long nibbling away at the decaying roots and bulbs and other organic matter in the soil. They chew up the old stuff and poop out nutrients that enrich our soil. And that’s not all; earthworms aerate the soil as they slowly make their way, preventing that packed-down character that old flower beds often have. (Introduce a batch of hungry worms and stand aside.)
Let’ do a quick review of the most common bad bugs common to our gardens. (You probably know them without my help.)
Moth caterpillars: So, how do you know if it’s a moth caterpillar? They’re usually hairy, with spines protruding. Butterfly caterpillars aren’t quite so ugly. Their bodies are smooth or almost hairless, and they don’t have spiney protrusions. Both varieties eat the foliage, and they eat a lot!
Spider mites: (They’re actually arachnids.) These tiny guys are red or yellow. They hang out on the underside of plant leaves and along stems, and they leave a slimy trail or web as they work, sucking the life-giving fluids from your plant.
Whiteflies: They’re tiny, white moth-like insects. They usually appear in “clouds” of annoying bugs, and they settle on the underside of leaves where they suck the fluids from the plant.
You may not find it difficult to decide if you’re looking at the good bugs or bad guys in your garden. But, if you do, try taking a few photos of the insect in question. Inspect the insect and its photo for: Color and any patterns, General shape, Number of legs and antennae, Wings, Where the insect hangs-out, the host plant.
Finally, here are a few suggestions for plants that will attract good bugs to your garden:
- Plant native species which provide food and shelter for the bugs. For example: Aster, Beebalm, Button bush, Cornflower/Echinacea, Goldenrod, Ironweed, Sweet shrub, Use a variety of plants that will flower through all the seasons.
- Be sure there’s a source of water that is shallow so insects can settle and drink.(If mosquitos lay eggs in the water, the birds and praying insects will eat them.)
- Leave the detritus in parts of the garden so insects can survive the winter there.
If you’re eager to know more about bugs, don’t wait. Here are a couple of interesting sites you can refer to: BugGuide.net and the Field Guide to Insects, Smithsonian Institution
