Everyone has seen adult lady bugs along with hover fly’s in
the garden but I would suspect few know what the larvae of these look like. I
have mentioned aphidius wasps being great predators of aphids. I am not sure
that I have seen these wasps but their post cards are very noticeable, that is
if you know what to look for. Praying mantis are unique in the fact that
immature mantis’s look just like the adults only in miniature.
Being able to identify the “bad” guys is just as important as
to being able to identify the “good” guys. For starters knowing witch bug is
devastating your veggies will help you to determine the best plan for control.
If you indiscriminately destroy any “nasty” looking bug because it “looks” like
a “bad” guy, you will inadvertently be “shooting” yourself in the foot.
Look at the adults and immature pictures of the three
critters mentioned above.
As you can see some of these larvae would lead you to
believe they are pests but you would be wrong.
A good “bug” book with decent pictures and description is
“Texas Bug Book” by Howard Garrett and C. Malcolm Beck by the University of
Texas Press.
I find just browsing through the book on occasion helps me
to recognize the bug. Once it is recognized and identified a gardener can then
take appropriate action. Being an informed gardener has great rewards.
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