Beneficial Insects

and Other Arthropods

Fact Sheet No. 5.550 Insect Series| Home and Garden

by W.S. Cranshaw*
Most insects and other arthropods found Quick Facts
in the yard and garden do not feed on or
harm plants. Many of these are just passing • Beneficial arthropods can
through or have innocuous habits. Others prevent or limit pest problems
feed on and destroy pest species. In many in the yard and garden.
cases, the activities of these beneficial species
can completely prevent or greatly limit • These “friends” can be
pest problems. It is important to recognize categorized broadly as either
these beneficial arthropods so they may be insect predators or parasites.
appreciated and conserved. • Predators include lady
Beneficial arthropods are categorized
beetles, lacewings and
broadly as either predators or parasites. Adult
spiders.
or immature stages of insect predators, or
both, actively search out and eat prey insects. Figure 1: Twospotted lady beetle laying eggs. • Common insect parasites are
Predators include lady beetles, lacewings and tachinid flies and the braconid
spiders. Insect parasites develop in or on a and ichneumonid wasps.
single host from eggs or larvae deposited by
the adult parasite. Common insect parasites • When insecticides are
are tachinid flies and the braconid and needed, choose ones that
ichneumonid wasps. are selective and less likely
to harm insect predators and
parasites.
Insect Predators
Lady Beetles
Often called ladybugs, lady beetles
(Figure 1) are the most familiar insect
predator. Most adult lady beetles are round to
oval, brightly colored and often spotted. Lady Figure 2: Typical lady beetle larva.
beetles are further discussed in fact sheet
5.594, Lady Beetles. The immature or larvae common Colorado insect is found feeding
stages, however, look very different and often on bean leaves. It is distinguished from other
are overlooked or misidentified. Lady beetle lady beetles by spotting and color in the adult
larvae are elongated, usually dark colored, stage. Larvae of the Mexican bean beetle are
and flecked with orange or yellow (Figure 2). yellow and spiny.
Adult and larvae feed on large numbers of
small, soft-bodied insects such as aphids. One Green Lacewings
group of small, black lady beetles (Stethorus) Several green lacewing species (Figure 3)
is important in controlling spider mites are commonly found in gardens. The adult
and others specialize in scale insects. Lady stage is familiar to most gardeners: a pale
beetles can rapidly control many developing green insect with large, clear, highly-veined
insect problems, particularly if temperatures wings that are held over the body when at
are warm. © Colorado State University
rest. Adult green lacewings primarily feed on
One species of lady beetle, however, the Extension. 1/92. Revised 2/09.
nectar and other fluids, but some species also
Mexican bean beetle, is a plant pest. This consume a few small insects. www.ext.colostate.edu
*
Colorado State University Extension entomologist
Green lacewings lay a distinctive stalked
and professor, bioagricultural sciences and pest egg. Lacewing larvae emerge in four to 10
management. 2/2009 days. These larvae, sometimes called aphid
 lions, are voracious predators capable of Ground Beetles
feeding on small caterpillars and beetles, Various species of ground beetles
as well as aphids and other insects. In are found under debris, in soil cracks or
general shape and size, lacewing larvae are moving along the ground. Immature stages
superficially predators capable of feeding are distinctly different from adults and
on small caterpillars and beetles, as well as more often are found within the top few
aphids and other insects. In general shape inches of soil.
and size, lacewing larvae are superficially Ground beetles are general feeders with
similar to lady beetle larvae. However, powerful jaws. Almost any garden pest
immature lacewings usually are light that spends part or all of its life on the soil
brown and have a large pair of hooked jaws surface may be prey for these insects.
Figure 3: Green lacewing adult. sticking out from the front of the head
(Figure 4). Mantids
Mantids are uncommon in most of
Syrphid Flies
Colorado but are familiar insects to most
These flies are called by several names, gardeners. Mantids are general predators
such as flower flies or hover flies. Most that feed on almost any insects of the right
are brightly colored, yellow or orange size. They have one generation per year
and black, and may resemble bees or with winter spent as eggs within a pod. One
yellowjacket wasps. However, syrphid flies species of mantids, the Chinese mantid, is
are harmless to people. Usually they can be sometimes available for sale. Mantids are
seen feeding on flowers. discussed in more detail in fact sheet 5.510,
It is the larval stage of the syrphid fly Mantids of Colorado.
that preys on insects. Variously colored,
Figure 4: Green lacewing nymph. Photo the tapered maggots crawl over foliage
courtesy of Harold Larsen. Hunting Wasps
and can eat dozens of small, soft-bodied
A large number of wasps from several
insects each day. Syrphid flies are
families prey on insect pests. Many take
particularly important in controlling aphid
their prey, whole or in pieces, back to their
infestations early in the season, when cooler
mud, soil or paper nests to feed to the
temperatures may inhibit other predators.
immature wasps. These hunting wasps
Similar in appearance to syrphid fly larvae
can be important in controlling garden
is a small, bright orange predatory midge
insect pests. For example, the common
(Aphidoletes). These insects often can be
Polistes paper wasps, when hunting, may
seen feeding within aphid colonies late in
thoroughly search plants and feed on
the season.
caterpillars, often providing substantial
control of these insects.
Predatory Bugs
True bugs (Order: Hemiptera) are Predatory Mites
predators of insects and mites. All feed
Figure 5: Syrphid fly adult.
Several mite species are predators of
by piercing the prey with their narrow
plant-feeding spider mites. Typically, these
mouthparts and sucking out body fluids.
predatory mites are a little larger than
A red and black species of predatory stink
spider mites but are more rounded in
bug, capable of feeding on fairly large
insects such as caterpillars and potato beetle
larvae, is most conspicuous. More common,
but less frequently observed, are the various
light brown damsel bugs, also called nabid
bugs. Damsel bugs are found on the foliage
of all crops, where they seek out aphids,
insect eggs and small insect larvae.
Most common of all the predatory
bugs are the small (less than 1/8 inch)
minute pirate bugs. Minute pirate bugs
are most frequently seen in flowers or in
Figure 6: Syrphid fly larva. crevices of a green plant, where they feed Figure 7: Hunting wasp (Ammophila) at prey
on thrips, spider mites and insect eggs. with caterpillar.
Other predatory bugs common in yards
and gardens include ambush bugs and
assassin bugs.
shape and faster moving than their prey. Purchasing Insect
Predatory mites often can provide good Predators and Parasites
control of spider mites. Low humidity can
Several insect predators and parasites
restrict their activity. They are also more
are available through garden catalogs and
susceptible to insecticides than are plant-
other outlets. These include lady beetles,
feeding species.
praying mantids, Trichogramma wasps,
green lacewing eggs and others.
Spiders
At present, Colorado State University
All spiders feed on insects or other entomologists cannot highly recommend
small arthropods. Most people are familiar any of these beneficial organisms for insect Figure 8: Crab spider.
with many common web-making species. pest control in the yard and garden. Field
However, there are many other spiders performance of released organisms has
– wolf spiders, crab spiders, jumping been marginal.
spiders – that do not build webs but instead Certain insect diseases, such as
move about and hunt their prey on soil or Bacillus thuringiensis and insect parasite
plants. These less conspicuous spiders can nematodes, are recommended. Also
be important in controlling insect pests several insect natural enemies (whitefly
such as beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers parasite, mealybug destroyer, predatory
and aphids. mites) are recommended for greenhouse
insect management. See fact sheets 5.556,
Insect Parasites Bacillus thuringiensis, and 5.573, Insect
Parasitic Nematodes. Figure 9: Tachinid fly eggs (white) laid near head
Tachinid Flies of hornworm caterpillar.
In the yard and garden, it is important
These flies are undistinguished-looking to recognize naturally occurring insect
gray or brown flies covered with dark predators and parasites. Before making
bristles. Most look like other common flies, insecticide applications, always check plants
but they differ markedly in their habits. to see if the existing beneficial organisms
Adult tachinid flies lay eggs on various are abundant enough to provide control.
caterpillars, beetles and bugs, usually Whenever possible, use insecticides
near the head. The eggs hatch almost that are more selective in their activity
immediately, and the young maggots tunnel and less harmful to the insect predators
into their host. After feeding internally and parasites.
for a week or more, the tachinid fly larvae
eventually kill the host insect.
The many kinds of tachinid flies are The Use of Flowering
important natural controls of many insect Plants by Beneficial Insects Figure 10: Tachnid fly feeding on nectar.
pests, particularly caterpillars. However, Many insects are important in the
tachinid flies rarely are observed by the biological control of plant pests have
average gardener, and their beneficial special food needs during their adult stage.
activities often are overlooked. An important example of this are syrphid
(floer) flies that must feed on pollen or
Braconid and Ichneumonid Wasps nectar to mature eggs. Many other insects
These are a large and diverse group of use pollen and nectar (and honeydew)
insect parasites. Some are small and attack to sustain them, often allowing them to
small insects such as aphids. Others live survive longer, produce more progeny and
in the eggs of various pest insects. Larger provide an overall higher level of biological
parasite wasps attack caterpillars or wood- control. Lady beetles, green lacewings and
boring beetles. parasitic wasps are among the natural
External evidence of these parasites’ insect enemies that utilize nectar and pollen
Figure 11: Ichneumon wasp.
activity is often more obvious than with in this manner.
the tachinid flies. For example, aphids that
are parasitized by these wasps are typically
small and discolored and called “aphid
mummies.” Other braconid wasp species
spin conspicuous pupal cocoons after
emerging from a host.
 The availability of flowering plants that
provide these supplementary foods can
increase the beneficial activities of these
natural enemies. However, it is also clear
that there is a wide range in how useful
flowering plants are for this purpose. The
majority of plants are not available to the
insects whose mouthparts are much shorter
than others, better known nectar feeders
such as bees and butterflies.
Some plants that have high visitation
and use by beneficial natural enemies:
• Achillea (Yarrow)
• Basket-of-Gold
• Butter-and-Eggs
• Camomille
• Coriander
• Dill
• Edging Lobelia
• European Goldenrod
• Fennel
• Lavenders
• Masterwort
• Moon Carrot
• Sedum
• Sweet Alyssum
• Veronica

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Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating.
CSU Extension programs are available to all without
discrimination. No endorsement of products mentioned
is intended nor is criticism implied of products not
mentioned.