Beneficial Insects Environmental Aspects
Biocontrol method is a useful means to control the menace of pests in a garden by exploiting the innate tendencies of certain living organisms to feed on another living organism. Beneficial insects play an important role in managing the ecological balance in nature. These insects are essential in regulating the population of harmful insects by either acting as predators or as parasites on these pests. |
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Predatory insects are those that eat insects. Some of these include crabid beetles, snake flies, predatory mites, damsel bugs, robber flies, bigeyed bugs and minute pirate bugs. Parasitic insects deposit their eggs within another insect from which a larva emerges to kill the host. Some important parasitic insects include braconid wasps, fly parasites, thick-headed flies, marsh flies, whitefly predator, parasitic chalcids, gypsy moth parasite, cottony cushion scale parasite, grain moth parasite and black scale parasite.
Apart from this, there are certain other benefits of using beneficial insects. The most important benefit is the environmental aspect. A large amount of chemical pesticides are being used for the purpose of destroying these pests. Many of these chemicals are harmful to humans, plants and animal life, and are not biodegradable. Another danger that looms due to continued usage of chemical pesticides is the subsequent development of insect strains that are resistant to pesticides. Usage of beneficial insects decreases the need to use chemicals. Beneficial insects also act as pollination agents. Most of these insects including ladybugs, miniature wasps, hoverflies, lacewings, ground beetles and tachinid flies get attracted to nectar and pollen present in the flowers. The use of beneficial insects for controlling pests is a low cost pest management practice that is safe and results in enhanced production.
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