The good guys of the garden

Thankfully, in this day and age many of us are working to make our yards more welcoming to pollinators, putting in flowering plants and offering water and shelter options. I applaud all of you who are working in this pursuit and those who are contemplating even small steps they can take to support our pollinators.

You know what, though? The pollinators are stealing a bit of the garden limelight that deservedly should go to another group of equally important insects-the beneficials! Lady beetles, green lacewings, mantids, true bugs, hunting wasps, spiders, and others are doing the essential work of knocking down the populations of those troublesome insects that can cause us all so much widespread garden grief if left to their own devices. These beneficial insects act as either predators or parasites of our garden pests. So, let’s go ahead and dig a little deeper into this stand-up group of insects. As you read along, I’d encourage you to look up each insect so you can get a good visual of what to look for in your own yard!

Lady beetles

This is a perfect place to start as most everyone knows these are garden allies plus they are easily recognizable. While the cheerful red and black beetles are great and do good work, it’s actually their younger larva versions that are the real MVPs. The larvae of lady beetles resemble black and yellow tiny alligators, and they are ferocious hunters, especially of aphids. Unfortunately, the larvae are often overlooked, misidentified, and sometimes squashed by folks who find their looks rather threatening, not realizing what a boon they are for the yard. So, keep an eye out for them and be sure to acknowledge the priceless work their appetites are doing for you!

Green lacewings

These are the bright green insects with large, clear, highly-veined wings that are held over the body when at rest. You’ll often see them resting on windows, near outdoor lights, and sometimes inside when they get confused. The adults mostly feed on nectar and other fluids, but some species consume a few small insects. Once again, it’s the larvae that are the most beneficial to us, so much so, that they are commonly called ‘aphid lions’. In addition to aphids, they also feed on small caterpillars, beetles, and other insects. The larvae are somewhat alligator-like too but brown and white with large, hooked jaws sticking out from the front of the head, rather intimidatingly reassuring if you ask me.

Predatory bugs

This group is known as the ‘true bugs’ and includes minute pirate bugs, damsel bugs, ambush bugs, stink bugs, and assassin bugs. With over 38,000 species of true bugs, at least one third of them are predatory. They prey on insects and mites and feed by piercing their prey with their narrow mouthparts and sucking out body fluids.

Mantids

Distinctive and delightful to behold, mantids are made up of the seven mantis species found in Colorado, five of which are native to the state. These insects are not very picky and will eat just about anyone that crosses their path, including other mantids. When small and young, the insects will feed on gnats and other tiny insects but as they grow, so do their appetites and ability to take down larger prey including grasshoppers, large flies, and bees. They usually hunt by ambush with the ability to easily turn their heads in order to see in all directions and have widely spaced eyes that give them excellent binocular vision. Keep an eye out for their unique egg cases called oothecas that you’ll find attached to a wide variety of surfaces. They look like hardened beige foam in an oblong shape. Leave these alone as the insects overwinter as eggs inside of these oothecas, emerging in late spring.

Hunting wasps

Hunting wasps are fascinating, if a little unnerving, to study. Too many folks see wasps and instantly only think “stings!”. However, these wasps offer a large amount of pest control and are non-aggressive, stinging only if directly handled or accidentally trapped. With the exception of spider wasps, the sting is quite mild compared to that of social wasps. Instead, they are primarily concerned with hunting and bringing prey back to their small nests to feed their young. They are both predators and parasitic in that some species will lay their eggs on a host insect and the developing larvae then feed on the host, eventually killing it.

Mud dauber wasps, grass-carrying wasps, velvet wasps, sand wasps, leaf-hopper hunting wasps, and tarantula hawks are all solitary hunting wasps.

Just like solitary bees, solitary wasps are looking for cavities to nest in and may take up residence in your bee hotel. No need to be alarmed! Solitary wasps are docile and beneficial to our garden and the ecosystem. They will co-exist with the other bees and wasps nesting in your bee hotel. Since the bees and wasps nesting in your bee hotel are docile, you can take the opportunity to watch their activity, witnessing them bring back nesting material and work hard at providing provisions for their young. Remember: Bee hotels need to be maintained to prevent molds, fungus, pests, and pathogens from harming the beneficial insects.

A quick note: Yellowjackets, on the other hand, are mostly scavengers, which is what can make them such nuisances as they are drawn to outdoor cooking, garbage, etc. and 90% of the stings experienced in Colorado are said to come from yellowjackets who defend their underground nests intensely and rarely hesitate to sting.

Spiders

Spiders are not overly picky when it comes to prey, helping to control populations of insect pests such as beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, and aphids. Many are non-web-making such as wolf spiders, crab spiders, and jumping spiders and do most of their hunting on soil or plants.

Purchasing beneficial insects

CSU entomologists cannot highly recommend purchasing beneficial insects for release into the garden at this time as field performance has been marginal when studied. Many of these insects are released and quickly move on to other areas outside of the desired boundaries.

How to support these insect allies

Before making any insecticide applications, always check plants for beneficial insects. You can protect them by doing this, and it just may be that you’ll find a large enough population of them that you won’t have to apply the insecticide after all since the good insects will be able to take care of the pests. Whenever possible, use the most selective insecticide available to reduce any impacts on your beneficial species.

By providing an array of flowers, you can help these insects thrive in your yard. Many of them require nectar or pollen inputs at different life stages and, if not for themselves, their prey often does. By providing a good variety of blooms throughout the growing season and a water source somewhere on your property, you’ll be doing your part to encourage and support these essential garden helpers.

More from Amanda Weidner: Weidner: New trees for the landscape

Amanda Weidner is the horticulture specialist at the Pueblo County CSU-Extension Office. She can be reached at 719-583-6581 and weidnera@pueblocounty.us.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Weidner: The good guys of the garden