Insects And Other Creatures That Are Beneficial To Rose Bushes And Gardens
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by Bob Bauer
Coccinellidae Also called Ladybirds or coccinellids Lady Bugs are small beetles about 1/4 inch long that have wing covers of dark orange with black spots. They are kind of cute. These predatory insects are something that you really want to have in your garden. Lady beetles, both adults and larvae, are known primarily as predators of aphids (plant lice), but they prey also on many other pests such as soft-scale insects, mealybugs, spider mites and eggs of the Colorado Potato Beetle and European Corn Borer. Not only do they eat aphids and other harmful insects, the are beautiful to see. They do a lot of their eating in the larval stage, consuming as many as 400 aphids at this stage. More than 5,000 aphids may be eaten by a single adult during its full life cycle. Releasing ladybugs in your garden is usually not that productive, because they are very mobile and can fly to your neighbors yard very quickly. Using pesticides in your garden will destroy the benefits of ladybugs, use only selective pesticides, and spraying with pesticides if possible.
How to Attract Native Beetles Grow pollen and vector flowers (angelica, dill); grow grains and allow weeds (dandelion, wild carrot, yarrow). Wheast is a combination of whey and yeast that can be sprayed on plants to attract lady beetles (wheast is an artificial diet). Protect egg clusters, larvae, and pupae on plants. To conserve lady beetles, More information can be found at: Lady Beetle Fact Sheet
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The green lacewing, or Chrysoperla (=Chrysopa) carnea Green lacewings are common in much of North America. Adults feed only on nectar, pollen, and aphid honeydew, but their larvae are active predators. C. carnea occurs in a wide range of habitats in northeastern, midwestern and western U.S. Green lacewings are pale green, about 12-20 mm long, with long antennae and bright, golden eyes. They have large, transparent, pale green wings and a delicate body. Adult lacewings are active fliers, particularly during the evening and night and have a characteristic, fluttering flight. Oval shaped eggs are laid singly at the end of long silken stalks and are pale green, turning gray in several days. The larvae, which are very active, are gray or brownish and alligator-like with well-developed legs and large pincers with which they suck the body fluids from prey. Larvae grow from about 1 mm to 6-8 mm.
Lacewings are known to feed on several species of aphids, spider mites (especially red mites), thrips, whiteflies, eggs of leafhoppers, moths, and leafminers, small caterpillars, beetle larvae, and the tobacco budworm are reported prey. But lacewings are best known as aphid predators. The larvae are sometimes called aphid lions, and have been reported to eat between 100 and 600 aphids each as they mature.
'La Ville de Bruxelles'
Mantis religiosa Known singularly as the Praying Mantis. This friendly insect is the top of the insect food chain. It will eat almost all insects that it happens to run across. They also make good pets. That is if you can get past their unusual bizarre looks.
Here is an excerpt from Ohio State University Extension's Praying Mantis Fact Sheet : "The "Praying Mantis" is truly a most remarkable creature with a striking appearance and curious habits! They do not bite humans, damage household furnishings, nor spread disease. However, when handled, their spiny-like forelegs can be readily felt as a "sharp pinch." Mantids are most commonly seen in late September and early October either resting on a plant or "fluttering" through the air, sometimes mistaken for a hummingbird. Some appear to resemble leaves or flowers in shape and color. The common name comes from the manner in which they hold up the forepart of the body, with its enormous front legs, as though in an attitude of prayer. They might also be called "preying mantes" for they are carnivorous, eating other insects. The body is elongate with the front legs modified into prominent grasping organs that catch and hold prey. The wings are well developed, but mantids commonly remain quiet in one place until another insect comes into reach. However, they sometimes cautiously stalk their prey. Identification Both native and introduced species are quite large, some over 3 to 4 inches long. The body is tannish-brown with the longitudinal forewing's outer margins edged in a pea green color. The forelegs are modified to close like a knife blade back against its handle (pocket knife-like). Prey are held securely between these serrated, spiny forelegs. Life Cycle and Habits One generation develops each season. In the autumn, females lay eggs in a large mass or cluster (an inch or so long), in a frothy, gummy substance glued to tree twigs, plant stems and other objects. Overwintering occurs in the egg stage in this case. Tiny nymphs emerge from the egg mass in the spring or early summer."
'William Allen Richardson'
One of the most pleasant things I find in the garden is the buzzing of bees and wasps among the flowers. It is life in action. Things like this are why we love to be in our gardens, and why we do what we do. Many vegetables and fruits need pollination by bees flies or moths in order to form fruits. The same is true of roses. But Wasps and bees are also beneficial garden creatures, for they are pollinators as well as parasites of pests. Braconid wasps are small (half an inch or less) wasps that attack corn borers, sawflies and all sorts of larval pests. Trichogramma wasps are tiny wasps which prey on the eggs of more than 200 worm type pests, including borers, webworms, and many types of moth caterpillars. The wasps lay their eggs directly into the pest's eggs, killing the eggs as they hatch. As soon as the wasps mature, they will fly off in search of new eggs to parasitize. Aphid-eating solitary wasps (Passaloecus spp.) These tiny (1/4 to 1/2” long) wasps can pack a lot of aphids in their nest, so they may really help with your aphid problems if you build up a population of them. This can be done by giving them living quarters, usually little round holes drilled in wood.
The benefits of lots of earthworms in your soil can not be overstated. The primary benefit of worms is that they act like little roto tillers in that they bring nutrients from one place to another and keep it aerated. They also produce 'worm castings' as a waste product that are a valuable fertilizer and structural component of soil. Worm castings contain nitrogen and other nutrients necessary for plant growth. They also help to break down and compost decaying plant matter so that it can be used by the roots of your roses. Worms move through the soil creating channels that greatly improve moisture retention, aeration and soil structure. Worms constantly turn the soil evenly distributing nutrients and preventing matted roots. Worms produce natural antibiotics which help fight plant diseases. Worms can eat their weight in soil each day. Over 1 million worms may be present in one acre of soil, and these worms can produce 700 pounds of castings each day. Two thousand red worms in a worm bin can produce 7 pounds of castings in one month. The presence of worms in your soil is the primary indication of your soils health. The more worms, the better things are. If you don't have earthworms in your soil. it is worthwhile to buy some from the kid down the street (you know, the ones that he sells for fishing bait), and add them to your garden soil. Make sure that you do this at night, as they are very susceptible to being eaten by birds when it is light.
'Paul Neyron'
Apart from the obvious visual and auditory benefits of beauty, interest and song, birds have other advantages for your roses. A good presence of birds in your garden especially in the spring will definitely limit the damage that insects eventually do. For example, a chickadee can eat 200 to 500 insects a day. A brown thrasher can eat about 600 insects a day. And a house wren is capable of feeding approximately 500 spiders and caterpillars to its young each and every day. Other beneficial garden insectivore birds include robins, finches, bluebirds, bobolinks, meadowlarks, doves, field sparrows, purple martins, swallows, kingbirds, black phoebes, titmice, orioles, and woodpeckers.
When the insects are in their larval stages, and sometimes when they are in their adult stage they are likely to be eaten by birds. Birds are hungrier in the spring because there are less fruits seeds and berries to snack on. A nice grub or two tastes great to them. This is the best time for garden pest control: when insects are in their larval stage. Also, birds tend to eat more when they are nesting. Feeding birds over the winter is critical because it lets the birds know that your yard is a good place to eat. You might want to stop winter feeding of the birds once you have noticed that spring is advanced enough to produce insect food. In late summer and fall, the birds have plenty to eat and are less concerned with the insects in your garden, so you don't need to resume winter feeding until a few weeks after the killing frosts have hit.
