“Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet. Eating her curds and whey.”
Good grief, it’s no wonder there were problems with the Muffet family; do you realize how uncomfortable those tuffets can be?
“Along came a spider. Who sat down beside her. And frightened Miss Muffet away!”
Miss Muffet obviously hadn’t been schooled about beneficial insects, including spiders.
Of all insect species, over 97 percent of those usually seen in the home landscape are either beneficial or are “innocent bystanders.”
There are two categories: predators and parasitoids. Both can effectively control insect and mite pests in your home landscape.
*Predators kill and feed on prey. They are generally larger than their prey.
*Parasitoids are typically smaller than their hosts and lay eggs on or within them. When the eggs hatch into larvae, these larvae develop and feed on these host insects, causing their death.
If you’d like to attract “friendly/beneficial” insects, these plant families will usually do the most for you:
1. The Apicaceae - carrot family.
2. The Asteraceae daisy family.
3. The Fabaceae - bean family.
4. The Brassicaceae - mustard family.
For the rest of Diane Gibson's column, see the May 28 Galva News.
