44 May 1, 2014 2014 SPRING HOME AND GARDEN “OUT OF THE ORDINARY” LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM
THE 10 MOST WANTED:
A short list of beneficial garden insects
I
t’s the end of April, almost May, and the weather
is turning warm. With the first spark of warmth,
bugs begin to emerge from wherever they have
been hiding from the winter’s cold, and they begin
to do what they do best: BUG YOU!
We are constantly surrounded by insects, and they
compete with us for just about everything. There
are insects that bite on us and some that suck our
blood. There are insects that eat our food, eat our
crops and even eat our homes. And if you aren’t
creeped out yet, there are even bugs that live on
our skin.
Even though they are all creepy and alien-looking,
not all insects and bugs are our enemies. There are
a few that actually benefit mankind, especially in
the garden, and recognizing them and promoting
their colonies can help us reduce the amount of
pesticides we use, protect our crops and animals,
and be more healthy.
THE LOGAN COUNTY 10 MOST WANTED (bugs):
10. The ladybug
In Logan County we are well aware of the presence
of ladybugs, especially if you live anywhere near a
farm field. Ladybugs, also called lady beetles and
ladybird beetles, spend their whole lives eating
the bugs that eat our plants, especially aphids and
whiteflies. Ladybugs come in both orange and red
dotted varieties. They begin their lives hatched
from eggs to become small, alligator-shaped
larvae. Here in the county, we also have those
Asian ladybugs that were imported to specifically
eat the aphids and scale insects that infect soybean
fields; we know those because they bite us, too!
Regular ladybugs are so good at controlling
plant pests that you can buy them by the half-
pint from companies such as Planet Natural —
approximately 4,500 ladybugs for $26.
planetnatural.com/product/live-ladybugs/
9. The green lacewing
The common green lacewing adult doesn’t do
much for people, but their kids are the real
heroes. The kids, known as “aphid lions,” eat
many different garden pests, including aphids
(which suck the life out of plant leaves and stems),
mealybugs and thrips. You can also buy green
lacewing eggs from Planet Natural at
.
planetnatural.com/product/lacewing-eggs/.
Continued on page 45
By Jim Youngquist
