Insect check Beneficial insect or pest? How to recognize insects in the garden

There are not only pests in your garden that can pose a danger to your plants, but also beneficial insects that can be a lifesaver for your greenery.

There are many insects in the garden - and that is important.

But not all of them are harmless. Some cause major damage to plants. But for every pest there is a suitable beneficial insect that can contain the pest. But how can you tell which insect is your friend or foe? An overview.

Ladybugs are true heroes in the garden. The red beetles with black dots are easy to recognize. They are not only beautiful to look at, but also useful. They eat pests such as aphids, which often infest roses. The sixteen-spotted ladybug's diet even includes mildew - a real helper in the flower bed.

Aphids are tiny, sometimes winged, and green, reddish-brown or black-brown, depending on the species. They hatch in spring and reproduce quickly. After only a short time, they cause severe damage to useful and ornamental plants.

To get rid of them, however, you don't have to use chemicals straight away. Ladybugs are all you need. A seven-spot ladybug eats up to 150 aphids a day.

Lacewings are also useful helpers in the garden. They not only eat aphids, but also spider mites, thrips and caterpillars - all pests. You can easily recognize the insects by their shimmering green wings.

From September onwards, they set off in search of winter quarters. Support the lacewings by setting up a hibernation box in the garden.

Spider mites are not insects, but arachnids. They get their name because they cover leaves and shoots with fine webs. In doing so, they severely damage the plants. Lacewings can help to control them. High humidity is also effective: spray the affected plants with water more frequently.

Thrips, also known as fringed winged insects or blister feet, are tiny pests that can often be found on houseplants or in greenhouses.

They eat leaves and are often so small that they are barely visible. Regular spraying with a mild soapy solution helps to get rid of the pests.

If you notice worms on plants, fruit or berries, they are usually butterfly caterpillars such as the codling moth or plum moth. These pests can cause major damage. Beneficial insects such as parasitic wasps, ground beetles or flower bugs help to put the butterfly caterpillars to flight again.

Small green caterpillars should be removed by hand. A mixture of vinegar, oil, washing-up liquid or soapy water also acts as a deterrent.

Ichneumon wasps are among the most versatile beneficial insects in the garden. Depending on the species, they specifically control pests such as aphids, leaf miners and codling moths. They can be used as biological pest controllers in the garden, greenhouse or conservatory.

Specialist retailers sell bred parasitic wasp species that are precisely adapted to the respective pest infestation.

It is best to lay the eggs of the ichneumon wasps on infested plants at an early stage - or as a preventative measure in the garden. Up to 50 eggs per square meter is ideal.

A tip for more beneficial insects in the garden: build an insect hotel. It serves as a shelter for overwintering, nesting and survival - also for parasitic wasps.

Leaf miners are tiny pests that are particularly active at high temperatures in midsummer. They eat their way through leaves, causing them to wilt and fall off early. Ichneumon wasps help to control them. Nettle slurry also has a deterrent effect. As a preventative measure, vegetable protection nets provide reliable protection against infestation.

The codling moth is a typical pest in apple cultivation. An infestation is indicated by the so-called "worm bites" - small feeding holes in the fruit caused by the larvae.

Affected apples often fall unripe from the tree and begin to rot on the ground. The larvae are white-yellowish with a dark head. Adult moths can be identified by their patterned wings.

The adult codling moths have gray-brown wings with light stripes and copper-colored spots on the tips. They are mainly on the move at dusk. Nematodes of the species Steinernema feltiae can help with infestations. These tiny nematodes are supplied in clay powder, dissolved in water and applied. One packet containing around six million nematodes is enough for three large apple trees.

Nematodes can also be effective against the weevil and its larvae. You can recognize typical feeding marks on the leaves of hydrangeas, rhododendrons or roses - the edges look as if they have been cut out with a hole punch. These holes are caused by the European weevil. The larvae also feed on the roots, which severely weakens the plants or even causes them to die.

Ground beetles are also useful garden helpers. The small, mostly dark beetles move quickly and emit a foul-smelling secretion when in danger. They are mainly active at night and eat slug eggs, Colorado potato beetle larvae, wireworms, aphids and mites - all pests that they reliably keep at bay.

Wireworms are the larvae of click beetles and can grow up to three centimetres long. They can be particularly common on freshly planted vegetable beds. They prefer to feed on the roots, bulbs and tubers of flowers and vegetables. You should react quickly in the event of an infestation. Lay out bucket traps with fresh potato slices to attract the pests.

As the name suggests, flower bugs like to live on the flowers and leaves of trees and shrubs. They prefer to eat insects such as aphids, whiteflies, thrips and spider mites. Winegrowers are aware of their effectiveness and use them specifically for pest control. These useful bugs can also be used in your own garden to control pests.

The Colorado potato beetle is a garden pest. It mainly attacks nightshade plants such as potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, where it can cause damage.

The beetles can be recognized by their striped wings, the larvae are yellowish. Natural enemies such as toads and ground beetles help to control them. A few sprays of nettle manure can also help to curb the pest.

Slugs and snails are one of the biggest pests in the garden. These voracious pests eat almost everything and can destroy entire beds overnight. Young shoots of vegetables, perennials, lettuce and flowers are particularly affected.

Beer traps or barriers made of sand, ash or coffee grounds around the plants help to keep the slugs away.

Bumblebees perform important pollination work in the garden. Alongside bees, they also pollinate flowers, for example on fruit trees. Thanks to their long proboscis, bumblebees can even reach deep-seated flowers. They are also active early in the year - unlike honeybees, bumblebees also fly in cooler weather conditions.

The larvae of the leaf wasps usually attack the upper leaf surfaces of plants in spring. This can be recognized by the so-called window feeding on the leaves. It is best to cut off the infested parts of the plant. Put up nesting boxes or birdhouses to attract birds to your garden. The feathered beneficial insects love to eat leaf wasps.

The chalcid wasp is an extremely tiny insect, measuring only around 0.6 millimetres. The head and thorax are black, the abdomen is yellow. The females feed on the larvae of storage pests such as beetles and grain moths, which develop in cereal grains or cocoons. You can also use the chalcid wasp successfully against the whitefly, which attacks cucumbers or kale, for example.

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