Three Insects We Don’t Kill

You may get the idea from reading our Facebook posts and blog articles that we are out to get rid of any six-legged creature we can find. The truth is, we seek only those that pose some kind of problem for you. There are hundreds of good bugs that we work to NOT harm. We’re featuring just three of them here with information about why they are truly the “good” bugs!

Ladybugs

Ladybugs are generally considered useful insects, because many species feed on aphids or scale insects, which are pests in gardens, agricultural fields, orchards, and similar places. Within the colonies of such plant-eating pests, they will lay hundreds of eggs, and when these hatch, the larvae will commence feeding immediately. Now that’s a “good” bug!

Bumble Bees

Bumble bees are key pollinators of crops and wildflowers across the country and essential for a healthy environment. They are generalist foragers and thus do not depend on any one flower type. However, some plants rely on bumble bees to achieve pollination. They perform a behavior called “buzz pollination,” in which the bee grabs the pollen producing structure of the flower in her jaws and vibrates her wing muscles. This causes vibrations that dislodge pollen from the flower. Some plants, including tomatoes, peppers, and cranberries, benefit from buzz pollination.

Praying Mantis

Mantises are generalist predators of other insects. In its first life stage, a mantis eats small insects. In the final stage, the diet still includes more insects than anything else, but large species sometimes tackle increasingly large prey. The majority of mantises are ambush predators that only feed upon live prey within their reach. They either camouflage themselves and remain stationary, waiting for prey to approach, or stalk their prey with slow, stealthy movements. Larger mantises will eat smaller individuals of their own species. Once prey is within reach, mantises strike rapidly to grasp the prey with their spiked raptorial foreleg.

So there you have it. Three insects that we consider “good” bugs and that are not a target for our treatments.

To learn about the pests we DO control, visit http://www.daexterminating.com.