I’ve always been fascinated by insects. When I was little, my father used to take us on nature walks with our butterfly nets, collecting jars, magnifying glasses, and guidebooks to learn about the insects in our area. I immediately fell in love with all things invertebrate–iridescent beetles, camouflaged walking sticks (they look like twigs!), buzzy cicadas, and especially butterflies: their fleshy caterpillars, the intricate patterns and colors on their wings, and the way they fluttered from wildflower to wildflower. My kind of heaven.
It wasn’t until later that I learned the essential role insects play in the planetary ecosystem as pollinators and distributors of seeds. Without them, life as we know it wouldn’t exist. But insects, like birds, are suffering record declines due in large part to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. I want to do what I can to help these creatures who have fascinated me since I was a child, so I reached out to Matthew Shepherd, conservationist and director of outreach and education at the Xerces Society, to learn more about some of the amazing insects we can find in our gardens and what we all can do help them. Here’s what he said:
Q: What are “beneficial insects”?
A: The term beneficial insects is used describe a particular group of insects that is somehow useful to us. Typically, we’re talking about pest control for our farms or our gardens. But there are so many other insects that we’re not noticing that bring benefits to us, like those that decompose vegetation (like getting rid of leaves) or dispose of dead animals and all that kind of stuff. Here are some great beneficials to look out for:
Lady beetles. The first one we think of when we talk about beneficial insects is the native lady beetle. They don’t sting or harm humans, and they are amazing predators in both their adult and larvae forms, especially of aphids and scale insects. They’re not to be confused with the multicolored lady beetle, which is not native and overwinters in sheltered places like our homes. You won’t find the native species in your homes.
Lacewings. All insects are beautiful to me, but lacewings are particularly attractive. They have transparent wings with such a fine pattern on them and metallic, golden eyes. They’ll munch their way through aphids, mealy bugs, and caterpillars. Their larvae look like tiny little crocodiles with jaws that are kind of curved like a sickle on each side. They practically inhale their prey. They’re only about a half-inch long and will run around your hand without harming you, but watch out if you’re an aphid.
Fireflies. We tend to think of fireflies just as a beautiful and magical part of summer evenings. But they are also savage predators. They’ll eat soft-bodied insects and even earthworms and slugs. Give them welcoming places to live in your yard. [To learn more about firefly conservation, click here]
