101 Ideas: A guide to good bugs

Is there really such a thing as a good bug?

Definition: A nice bug does no harm, meaning it’s garden-friendly and doesn’t eat any of your plants or crops. A really good bug eats those insects that make mincemeat of your plants or crops.

But understand: Lots of good-bug behavior is hard to find. That’s because much of it is out of sight. The stealth stage of most of these insects is the larvae, and that’s why life cycles are key. Even the most avid gardeners may not be interested in the reproductive cycles of the green lacewing, but when they realize that one prolific female lacewing could be responsible for wiping out 40,000 pests each season, hey, they get it: That’s a great bug!

GOOD BUGS

Ladybug

Both larvae and adults feed on aphids, the former devouring hundreds during development and the latter consuming thousands.

Also favored are thrips, spider mites, mealy bugs, soft scales, whitefly and a wide variety of other soft-bodied, plant-eating insects. By summer’s end, they may eat pollen.

Braconid Wasp

Braconid wasps have such a strong reputation as killers of pests that they are widely used in agriculture. A few adults prey on other adult insects, but most feed on pollen. It’s the larvae that are extremely valuable controls of garden, farm and forest pests.

Syrphid Fly or Hover Fly

Imagine a pest-killing machine devouring enormous numbers of aphids, up to 400 during this

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