Garden

Beneficial insects worth keeping

Natural enemies, the predators, parasites and pathogens that reduce pest numbers, are key parts of integrated pest management. Broad-spectrum insecticides kill them along with the pests, which is why sprays aimed at aphids or mites often backfire.[3][11][14]

The short answer

  • Learn to recognize the common predators before you spray, and avoid broad-spectrum insecticides that kill them.[3][11]
  • Green lacewing larvae look like tiny alligators and eat mites and soft-bodied insects such as aphids; some lacewings are sold commercially.[7]
  • Predaceous ground beetles hunt caterpillars, soil insects, slugs and snails at night.[6]
  • Praying mantids eat any insect they can catch, including bees and other beneficials, and UC IPM says they're of no benefit for biological pest control.[5]

Common garden predators

  • Green lacewings: larvae up to about 1/2 inch, cream to tan with dark or reddish markings and large curved jaws; they feed on mites and soft-bodied insects. Some species are sold as adults, eggs or larvae and released in greenhouses.[7]
  • Predaceous ground beetles: shiny, long-legged, usually blackish or dark reddish beetles, 1/8 to 1 inch long, mostly active at night on the ground, eating caterpillars, root-feeding insects, millipedes, slugs and snails.[6]
  • Soldier beetles (leatherwings): elongate, dark with orange, red or yellow, with soft, flexible wing covers; they eat aphids, insect eggs and other soft-bodied insects.[8]
  • Minute pirate bugs and bigeyed bugs: small true bugs that prey on aphids, mites, thrips, whiteflies, insect eggs and small caterpillars.[9][10]
  • Lady beetles and syrphid fly larvae are major aphid predators; round, discolored aphid 'mummies' mean parasitic wasps are at work.[11]

Predators with a downside

  • Assassin bugs have long, narrow heads, beady eyes and needlelike mouthparts; they're general predators that also eat bees, lacewings and lady beetles.[4]
  • Mantids, 2 to 5 inches long and brown, green or yellowish, prey indiscriminately on beneficial and harmless insects, including bees, butterflies and syrphid flies. Chinese and Mediterranean mantids are sold by mail order, but they don't provide pest control.[5]

Pests of honey bees

  • Varroa mites are visible to the naked eye, like tiny brown tortoises on adult bees or brood. They feed on bees' body fluids and can weaken or destroy a colony, though signs may take 2 to 3 years to appear.[1]
  • Greater wax moth caterpillars tunnel through honeycomb at night, leaving silk and frass; older, dark comb in weakened colonies is attacked most. They're harmless to people.[2]

Keeping natural enemies around

  • Tolerate low pest numbers so predators have food, and check for natural enemies before treating.[11][12]
  • If you need a pesticide, insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils are less harmful to natural enemies than broad-spectrum products.[11][14]
  • Control ants on plants; they protect aphids, scales and whiteflies from their natural enemies.[11][12][13]

Sources

  1. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, “Varroa Mite (Field Guide to Common Texas Insects).” texasinsects.tamu.edu/varroa-mite/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, “Greater Wax Moth (Field Guide to Common Texas Insects).” texasinsects.tamu.edu/greater-wax-moth/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  3. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Assassin Bugs (Natural Enemies Gallery).” ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/assassin-bugs/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  4. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Mantids (Natural Enemies Gallery).” ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/mantids/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  5. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Predaceous Ground Beetles (Natural Enemies Gallery).” ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/predaceous-ground-beetles/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  6. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Green Lacewings (Natural Enemies Gallery).” ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/green-lacewings/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  7. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Soldier Beetles (Natural Enemies Gallery).” ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/soldier-beetles/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  8. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Minute Pirate Bugs (Natural Enemies Gallery).” ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/minute-pirate-bugs/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  9. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Bigeyed Bugs (Natural Enemies Gallery).” ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/bigeyed-bugs/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  10. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Aphids (Pest Notes, Home and Landscape).” ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/aphids/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  11. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Scales (Pest Notes, Home and Landscape).” ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/scales/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  12. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Whiteflies (Pest Notes, Home and Landscape).” ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/whiteflies/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  13. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Spider Mites (Pest Notes, Home and Landscape).” ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/spider-mites/ (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-06. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.