![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1.jpg) |
Predatory beetle (Coleoptera) on tulip tree (Liriodendron) leaf |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1029.jpg) |
Margined leatherwing beetle (Coleoptera), also called goldenrod soldier beetle, Chauliognathus, on garlic chives (Allium). Adults feed on nectar and pollen; larvae possibly feed on corn earworms and root maggots |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1042.jpg) |
Webbing like this indicates that a spider (Araneae) is nearby; all spiders are beneficial predators |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1043.jpg) |
Spiders (Araneae) are beneficial predators. Here, only the web is visible on a spruce (Picea), but the spider's probable location is obvious. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1082.jpg) |
Swallowtail (Lepidoptera) on zinnia |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1099.jpg) |
Two egg cases of a Chinese praying mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1204.jpg) |
Yellow lady beetle eggs (Coleoptera) on tomato (Lycopersicon) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1205.jpg) |
Yellow lady beetle eggs (Coleoptera) with their future victim, an aphid (Hemiptera), on a tomato leaf (Lycopersicon) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1206.jpg) |
Close-up of yellow lady beetle eggs (Coleoptera) with their future victim, an aphid (Hemiptera), on a tomato leaf (Lycopersicon) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1218.jpg) |
Swarm of honeybees (Hymenoptera) on crabapple tree |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1219.jpg) |
Swarm of honeybees (Hymenoptera) on crabapple tree |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1220.jpg) |
Underside of minute black scavenger fly (Diptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1221.jpg) |
Minute black scavenger fly (Diptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1222.jpg) |
Minute black scavenger fly (Diptera); these insects may congregate in large numbers on compost piles but are benign and simply part of the decay process |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1233.jpg) |
Wheel bug, Arilus cristatus, is one of the largest of the assassin bugs (Hemiptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1234.jpg) |
A wheel bug, Arilus cristatus, is so called because of the semi-circular cog on its back that resembles a cogged wheel. Like other assassin bugs (Hemiptera) they eat other insects and their eggs |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1235.jpg) |
Wheel bugs (Hemiptera), Arilus cristatus, are especially fond of caterpillars which they stab with their sharp beak and suck out the body fluids |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1236.jpg) |
Praying mantis (Mantodea) checking for pests on a hosta (Hosta) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1237.jpg) |
Look closely! Death is lurking on the inner stems of this aster in the form of a camouflaged praying mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1246.jpg) |
Antlions (Neuoptera) are the larvae of an insect related to lacewings. Like lacewing larvae, they are beneficial predators. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1247.jpg) |
Antlions (Neuroptera) are voracious predators that lie in wait for their victims, usually under loose soil, although sometimes in trees. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1248.jpg) |
Some antlions called doodlebugs (Neuoroptera) dig a conical pit in loose sand to trap prey. Note, the enornous mandibles on this specimen used to eat ants and other insects. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1255.jpg) |
Monarch butterflies (Lepidoptera) gathering on a dogwood (Cornus) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1264.jpg) |
Not all flies (Diptera) are pests; many are parasites and many are part of the natural decay process |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1281.jpg) |
Stag beetle (Coleoptera). The adults are benign; the larvae (grubs) feed on decayed wood |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1303.jpg) |
The white cocoons visible on the back of this tobacco hornworm (Lepidoptera) are braconid wasps (Hymenoptera) that have eaten the hornworm alive |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1304.jpg) |
The white cocoons on the back of this tobacco hornworm (Lepidoptera) are braconid wasps (Hymenoptera) that have eaten the hornworm alive |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1350.jpg) |
Dragonfly (Odonata) on waterlily (Nymphaea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1362.jpg) |
Tobacco hornworm (Lepidoptera) on tomato (Lycopersicon) with parasitic braconid wasps (Hymenoptera) in the white cocoons on its back |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1401.jpg) |
If you see a mass of eggs like this, leave it where it is. Wheel bugs (Hemiptera), Arilus cristatus, are beneficial insects that are especially fond of caterpillars |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1402.jpg) |
Wheel bug eggs (Hemiptera), Arilus cristatus, on a ash twig (Fraxinus) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1403.jpg) |
Close-up of wheel bug eggs (Hemiptera), Arilus cristatus; note, barrel-shape of the eggs typical of true bugs |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1404.jpg) |
Wheel bug eggs (Hemiptera), Arilus cristatus |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1413.jpg) |
Chinese praying mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1414.jpg) |
Chinese praying mantis (Mantodea) eating its prey |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1415.jpg) |
Close-up of Chinese praying mantis (Mantodea) devouring its prey |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1417.jpg) |
This cicada killer wasp (Hymenoptera), itself a beneficial insect, was parasitized by these fly larvae or maggots (Diptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1418.jpg) |
The pupa of a parasitic fly (Diptera) that came out of a cicada killer wasp (Hymenoptera) while it was still alive |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1484.jpg) |
Possible syrphid fly maggot (Diptera) feeding on the aphids (Hemiptera) on an iris bud; it was hidden in the flower sheath |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1494.jpg) |
Cicada killer wasp (Hymenoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1495.jpg) |
Underside of cicada killer wasp (Hymenoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1504.jpg) |
Some lacewing larvae (Neuroptera) stick the bodies of the victims to their backs, making them look like moving piles of debris. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1552.jpg) |
European paper wasp (Hymenoptera)--Polistes dominulus-- often mistaken for a yellow jacket, but note unique orange antennae. Adults feed on nectar; larvae are fed caterpillars and other insects. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1565.jpg) |
A spider web in the garden is good to have, because spiders eat garden pests, not plants |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial2304.jpg) |
Bristletails (Microcoryphia) usually feed at night on algae, lichen, moss, or decaying vegetation |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1615.jpg) |
Northern spring peeper with lunch hidden in a daylily flower (Hemerocallis) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1616.jpg) |
This hornworm (Lepidoptera) was eaten alive by parasitic braconid wasps (Hymenoptera) now pupating in the white cocoons on its back |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1617.jpg) |
Underside of a stag beetle (Coleoptera). The adults are benign; the larvae (grubs) feed on decayed wood |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1618.jpg) |
Stag beetle (Coleoptera). The adults are benign; the larvae (grubs) feed on decayed wood |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1619.jpg) |
Wheel bugs (Hemiptera) mating; these are beneficial predators. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1620.jpg) |
Wheel bugs (Hemiptera) mating; these are beneficial predators. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1621.jpg) |
Wheel bug (Hemiptera) eating a Japanese beetle (Coleoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1622.jpg) |
Wheel bug (Hemiptera) eating a Japanese beetle (Coleoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1631.jpg) |
Not all lady beetles are beneficial. This squash lady beetle larva, Epilachna borealis (Coleoptera) is eating the leaves of a squash plant (Cucurbita) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1654.jpg) |
Wheel bug adult (Hemiptera), a predatory beneficial insect; note, proboscis used for stabbing victims |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1655.jpg) |
Wheel bug adult (Hemiptera), a predatory beneficial insect; note, proboscis used for stabbing victims |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1656.jpg) |
Praying mantis (Mantodea) eating a moth (Lepidoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1657.jpg) |
Praying mantis (Mantodea) eating a moth (Lepidoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1661.jpg) |
Multicolored asian lady beetle adult (Coleoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1662.jpg) |
Lightning bug adults (Coleoptera) do not feed; the larvae are beneficial predators |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1663.jpg) |
Soldier beetle adults (Coleoptera) mating; aka leatherwings. The adults eat pollen or nectar; the larvae are beneficial predators. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1664.jpg) |
Hover flies (Diptera) or flower flies are types of syrphid flies. The adults, like this one on Coreopsis tinctoria, are beneficial pollinators while most larvae are beneficial predators |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1665.jpg) |
Adult lady beetle (Coleoptera) just emerged from its pupal case (left) on Asparagus 'Purple Passion' |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1666.jpg) |
Lady beetle larva (Coleoptera) on Asparagus 'Purple Passion' |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1667.jpg) |
Lady beetle pupa (Coleoptera) on Asparagus 'Purple Passion' |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1668.jpg) |
Adult lady beetle (Coleoptera) on Asparagus 'Purple Passion' |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1669.jpg) |
Molted skin of a dragonfly (Odonata) on papyrus (Cyperus) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1670.jpg) |
Praying mantis (Mantodea) eating its prey on a tomato (Lycopersicon) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1678.jpg) |
Empty pupal case of a lady beetle (Coleoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1751.jpg) |
A praying mantis adult (Mantodea) awaiting dinner from above? Or is it a standoff with the grasshopper (Orthoptera) on a copperleaf (Acalypha) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1752.jpg) |
Some praying mantises (Mantodea) have bloated abdomens |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1753.jpg) |
Praying mantis adult (Mantodea) hunting bagworms (Lepidoptera) on a spruce (Picea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1754.jpg) |
Praying mantis nymph (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1755.jpg) |
Praying mantis nymph (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1756.jpg) |
Freshly laid praying mantis eggcase (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1757.jpg) |
Wingbuds on a praying mantis nymph (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1758.jpg) |
Praying mantis (Mantodea) demonstrating the the prey holding spines on her foreleg |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1759.jpg) |
Silhouettee of praying mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1760.jpg) |
Lady beetle larvae (Coleoptera) with plenty of prey in the form of aphids (Hemiptera) on the underside of a cup plant leaf (Silphium perfoliatum) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1828.jpg) |
Many adult flies (Diptera) are important pollinators; here is one on an aster |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1829.jpg) |
Adult longlegged fly (Diptera) in the Dolichopodidae family, a beneficial predator |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1830.jpg) |
Adult longlegged fly (Diptera) in the Dolichopodidae family, a beneficial predator |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1831.jpg) |
Adult longlegged fly (Diptera) in the Dolichopodidae family, a beneficial predator |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1832.jpg) |
Adult robber fly (Diptera) a predator that can hunt down and snatch its prey in midair |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1833.jpg) |
Sideview of adult robber fly (Diptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1834.jpg) |
Close-up of the head of an adult robber fly (Diptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1882.jpg) |
Multicolored Asian lady beetles (Coleoptera) can be identified by the black M marking on their white pronotum |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1883.jpg) |
Tiger bee fly adult (Diptera), possibly Xenox tigrinus |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1884.jpg) |
Bee fly adult (Diptera), possibly Dipalta. Adults are important pollinators; larvae are predators |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1889.jpg) |
Syrphid fly adult (Diptera), possibly Eristalinae |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1891.jpg) |
An adult black swallowtail (Lepidoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2380.jpg) |
Dragonfly (Odonata) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2381.jpg) |
Dragonfly (Odonata) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1898.jpg) |
Bumble bee (Hymenoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1905.jpg) |
Like all beetles, multicolored Asian lady beetles are in the order Coleoptera which means sheath wings, and here's why: The hindwings are folded and hidden (or sheathed like a sword) beneath the hard forewings. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1929.jpg) |
Brown lacewing adult (Neuroptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1930.jpg) |
Green lacewing adult (Neuroptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1931.jpg) |
Lacewing egg (Neuroptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1932.jpg) |
Ichneumon Gnamptopelta or spider waspPepsis (Hymenoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1933.jpg) |
Ichneumon wasp (Hymenoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1934.jpg) |
Wings of an ichneumon wasp (Hymenoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1935.jpg) |
Ichneumon wasp (Hymenoptera) with extremely long ovipositor |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1947.jpg) |
Spider (Aranae) helping wilth pest control in the garden |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1948.jpg) |
Spider (Aranae) helping wilth pest control in the garden |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1953.jpg) |
Red-winged blackbirds are songbirds and beneficial predators of many insects; they also eat seeds |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1955.jpg) |
Maggots or fly larvae (Diptera), here found inside decaying daylily foliage (Hemerocallis), are important in the decomposition of dead plants and animals. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1956.jpg) |
Maggots or fly larvae (Diptera), here found inside decaying daylily foliage (Hemerocallis), are important in the decomposition of dead plants and animals. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1957.jpg) |
Maggots or fly larvae (Diptera), here found inside decaying daylily foliage (Hemerocallis), are important in the decomposition of dead plants and animals. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1980.jpg) |
Six-spotted tiger beetle (Coleoptera), Cicindela sexguttata. This metallic green beetle could be mistaken for an emerald ash borer, but this beetle is a beneficial predator. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1981.jpg) |
Six-spotted tiger beetle (Coleoptera), Cicindela sexguttata. This metallic green beetle could be mistaken for an emerald ash borer, but this beetle is a beneficial predator. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial1982.jpg) |
Six-spotted tiger beetle (Coleoptera), Cicindela sexguttata. This metallic green beetle could be mistaken for an emerald ash borer, but this beetle is a beneficial predator. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial2.jpg) |
Predatory beetle (Coleoptera) on tulip tree (Liriodendron) leaf |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial2109.jpg) |
Possible predatory mite (Acari) captured on a greenhouse yellow sticky trap |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial2112.jpg) |
Tiny parasitic wasp (Hymenoptera) captured on a greenhouse yellow sticky trap |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial234.jpg) |
Even indoors, spiders (Araneae) can be beneficial; this one has caught difficult-to-control whiteflies (Hemiptera) on crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial235.jpg) |
Even indoors, spiders (Araneae) can be beneficial; this one has caught difficult-to-control whiteflies (Hemiptera) on crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial3.jpg) |
Predatory beetle (Coleoptera) on tulip tree (Liriodendron) leaf |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial307.jpg) |
Close-up of green lacewing larva (Neuroptera) eating euonymus scale (Hemiptera) on euonymus (Euonymus) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial311.jpg) |
Green lacewing larva (Neuroptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial312.jpg) |
Green lacewing egg (Neuroptera) on stalk over woolly apple aphids (Hemiptera) on hawthorn (Crataegus) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial322.jpg) |
Close-up of a lady beetle larva (Coleoptera) on birch (Betula) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial323.jpg) |
Close-up of the head of lady beetle larva (Coleoptera)on birch (Betula) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial339.jpg) |
Close-up of the head and thorax of a praying mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial340.jpg) |
Egg case, with ruler for scale, of a Carolina mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial341.jpg) |
Side view of the egg case of a Carolina mantis (Mantodea) |
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Top view of egg case of a Carolina mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial390.jpg) |
Braconid wasps (Hymenoptera) are an important natural control of hornworms on tomato (Lycopersicon); note white eggs along back of caterpillar (Lepidoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial394.jpg) |
Nymph assassin bug (Hemiptera ) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial410.jpg) |
Nymphal stage of a dragonfly (Odonata) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial466.jpg) |
Rosie, a praying mantis (Mantodea), spent the entire summer in a hanging basket of kalanchoe (Kalanchoe and moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora); long enough to be named |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial467.jpg) |
Rosie, a praying mantis (Mantodea), spent the entire summer in a hanging basket of kalanchoe (Kalanchoe and moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora); long enough to be named |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial468.jpg) |
The cast skin of Rosie, the praying mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial469.jpg) |
Rosie, the praying mantis (Mantodea), praying for another victim |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial470.jpg) |
Egg mass of a Chinese mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial471.jpg) |
Egg mass of a Chinese mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial472.jpg) |
Egg mass of a Chinese mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial473.jpg) |
Egg mass of a Chinese mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial654.jpg) |
Spiders (Araneae), like this garden master, are beneficial predators in the garden |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial686.jpg) |
Most solitary hunting wasps (Hymenoptera), like the mud dauber, are considered beneficial insects |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial688.jpg) |
Green lacewing larva (Neuroptera), some of which are called aphid lions, not only eat aphids, but also eat other soft-bodied pests |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial689.jpg) |
Close-up of green lacewing larva (Neuroptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial690.jpg) |
Cicada killer wasps (Hymenoptera) are considered beneficial insects because they prey on dog-day cicadas |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial761.jpg) |
Dragonfly (Odonata) on (Ratibida pinnata) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial836.jpg) |
Potter wasps (Hymenoptera) rarely sting and are predators of caterpillars and beetle larvae, which they catch and then paralyze for their own larvae to feed on. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial905.jpg) |
On the right is a cicada killer wasp (Hymenoptera); on the left is its prey, a cicada (Hemiptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial930.jpg) |
Praying mantis (Mantodea) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial962.jpg) |
Assassin bug (Hemiptera ) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial963.jpg) |
Assassin bug (Hemiptera ) on pine (Pinus) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Beneficial965.jpg) |
Close-up of green lacewing adult (Neuroptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2387.jpg) |
Lacewing larva (Neuroptera) looking for prey. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2382.jpg) |
Dragonfly (Odonata) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2384.jpg) |
A praying mantis (Mantodea) is the only insects that can turn its head. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2385.jpg) |
Praying mantis (Mantodea) in distinctive "praying" stance. |
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Praying mantis (Mantodea) in distinctive "praying" stance. |
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Pupa of a ladybug, which is actually a beetle (Coleoptera) |
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Mating praying mantises (Mantodea). Note that the male is much smaller than the female. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2561.jpg) |
Predatory seven-spotted lady beetle (Coleoptera); native to North America |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2562.jpg) |
Adult yellow-collared scape moth (Lepidoptera). The adults feed on nectar; the larvae/caterpillars feed on grasses, lichens, and mosses. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Caterpillars_Surface1017.jpg) |
Adult yellow-collared scape moth (Lepidoptera). |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Caterpillars_Surface1018.jpg) |
Adult yellow-collared scape moths (Lepidoptera), mating. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2583.jpg) |
Immature male whitetail dragonfly (Odonata); predator |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2584.jpg) |
Immature male whitetail dragonfly (Odonata); predator |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2614.jpg) |
Cocoons of grass-carrying wasps (Hymenoptera) and remains of their prey (crickets and other Orthoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2615.jpg) |
Cocoons of grass-carrying wasps (Hymenoptera) and remains of their prey (crickets and other Orthoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2616.jpg) |
Cocoons of hairnet spongeflies or spongillaflies (Neuroptera). Adults resemble brown lacewings; larvae are aquatic feeding on fresh water sponges and bryozoans. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2617.jpg) |
Cocoons of hairnet spongeflies or spongillaflies (Neuroptera). |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2630.jpg) |
Imperial moth (Lepidoptera); as with all moths adults are benign |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2631.jpg) |
Imperial moth (Lepidoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2641.jpg) |
Lizard on a tree in San Antonio, Texas. Most lizards are insectivorous and therefore beneficial. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2644.jpg) |
Mealybug destroyer (Coleoptera) on cordyline. As the name implies these eat mealybugs (Hemiptera) and other soft bodied insects; adult is a lady beetle. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2675.jpg) |
Predatory stink bug (Hemiptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2677.jpg) |
Rat-tail maggots (Diptera) feed on decaying vegetation and are part of the natural decay process. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2685.jpg) |
Immature assassin bug (Hemiptera); most are predatory feeding on other insects. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2695.jpg) |
Wasp larvae of a potter or mason wasp (Hymenoptera). These solitary wasps build nurseries of mud and stock them with prey. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2649.jpg) |
Monarch crysalis (Lepidoptera). The caterpillars of many butterflies and moths leave their larval food plant and move to a taller vertical surface, like a post lying in a truck bed. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2571.jpg) |
Black swallowtail crysalis (Lepidoptera). Caterpillar moved from dill plants to a crape myrtle to pupate. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2712.jpg) |
Ichneumon wasp pupa, a campopleginae cocoon, (Hymenoptera) with remains of host insect attached. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2585.jpg) |
Cocoons of Cotesia glomerata, a Braconid wasp (Hymenoptera) that parasitizes imported cabbage worms, a.k.a., cabbage white butterflies (Lepidoptera) |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2554.jpg) |
Spider egg cases on an azalea bush (Rhododendron); all spiders (Araneae) are beneficial predators. |
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![Click for larger image](/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening%20Help/images/Pests/Pest2557.jpg) |
Wheel bug nymph (Hemiptera) eating a cucumber beetle (Coleoptera) on a potato plant (Solanum) |
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