Some gardeners (and people) are under the impression: the only good bug is a dead bug. But I’m here to tell you, that’s simply not true. A good bug is one that kills off our enemies and fights our garden battles with nary a chemical in sight. Bugs are a part of nature and letting nature take its course, specifically bugs that is, is often the solution for many garden ailments. Not all of them, mind you. But when you see some of the crawling critters below, think twice before you give them the boot.
Bugs that kill off our enemies generally fall into two categories: predatory and parasitoid insects. Both kill off insect populations. Predatory bugs are less discriminating in their appetite and parasitoid bugs are more so, as they have specific bug targets. Predators include Damselflies and Praying Mantids, who will eat just about any other insect. Parasitoids include Assassin bugs that eat caterpillars and tomato hornworms (a single hornworm can consume several tomato leaves in one day) and Ladybugs, who can eat up to 30-40 aphids per day (a group of very tiny insects that suck plant juices and weaken the plant).
Other bugs that don’t fight battles, but are still essential to gardeners, fall into the categories of pollinators and soil builders. Honey Bees are the most important laborers in the garden, and one of the great pollinators. According to the KS-based Great Plains Nature Center, when these bees forage for nectar, pollen sticks to the fuzzy hairs which cover their bodies and rubs off on the next flower they visit. This results in flower fertilization and better fruit production. In fact, without this process, some plants do not produce fruit at all. Honeybees succeed in pollinating an estimated 1/4 of all fruit produced for human consumption in the U.S.
In the soil builder family, earthworms typically come to mind. Earthworms help to aerate soil and improve its structure and mineral content. In “Good Bugs for your Garden,” author Allison Mia Starcher notes earthworms can eat their weight in decaying plant matter each day.
For some homeowners, especially those with an appreciation of good bugs, the problem might not be keeping these bugs, it might be getting them in the first place. In this case, speak to your landscape designer about planting flowers that entice them. Certain flowers attract good bugs and repel the bad. Daisies and sunflowers are two good examples. We also suggest planting wildflowers wherever you can, as many good bugs are drawn to native flowering plants such as goldenrod, yarrow, bee balm and Queen Anne’s Lace.
Another option: your landscape designer can obtain certain bug species, such as lady beetles and praying mantids egg cases, through garden supply companies. Temperature and timing are important for these imports to be successful. You want to release predatory insects in late spring or early summer. If you release them too early, they have nothing to eat.
This articles provides but a small representation of the many good bugs gardeners hope to find wandering through their daisies, and the ways to attract them. The bottom line is, either consult a book, or a landscape designer, before deciding to eradicate a bug species. After all, you don’t want to kill the good guys.
