Beneficial Bugs in the Garden

When we think of bugs in the garden we usually visualize those pesky leaf-eaters that chew holes in green foliage and saw through the soft, tender stems of seedlings. When I think about those nasty earwigs making a home in the husks of corn we grew last year I get so angry that I could just go out and fumigate the entire area, eradicating any and all forms of life from my sacred soil. But that knee-jerk reaction is exactly the type of behavior that encourages garden pests.

Nature has a way of balancing itself out. For all of the pesky little bugs, there are other bugs that we refer to as beneficial simply because they like to murder and destroy the bugs who cause us such heartache. When we spray harsh chemicals we offset the balance, often killing the beneficial bugs that would normally help control future infestations.

We all know that bees are beneficial as they help to pollinate the flowers in our gardens, which in turn produce the fruits and vegetables in their labors of love. Some wasps, too, are beneficial. They buzz around the garden seeking the destructive caterpillars and inch-worms lurking on leaf and stem. Ladybugs are a beneficial bug as well, some people buy packets of them to release into their garden to put a stop to aphids. A single ladybug can eat anywhere from 50 to 60 aphids a day. And of course, spiders are beneficial! While you may choose to stomp on any poisonous varieties to prevent tiny hands from receiving a nasty bite when you send the little ones out to forage edibles, most garden spiders are relatively harmless to us.

But, one of my all-time favorite beneficial garden bug is the Praying Mantis! I’ve always been somewhat fascinated by this bug. They are just so cool! They are born predators and even have a bat radar detector to help save from being eaten by their sworn enemies while in flight. Here is a picture of a baby Mantis we found in the backyard.

A baby Praying Mantis found in our backyard.