What are two harmful insects?

We think of insects as being pests in the garden, but only the insects that feed on our plants or transmit disease are pests. Many insects are useful and are called "beneficial." There are three main groups of beneficial insects: pollinators, predators, and parasitoids.

Pollinators include several bee and fly species, and the ones that we're most familiar with are honeybees, bumblebees, orchard mason bees, and syrphid flies.

Predatory insects eat large numbers of other insects. These predaceous insects can feed on other insects when they are larvae, adults or both. Common predators that we see often in the garden are lady beetles (we call them lady bugs), praying mantids, Spiders and centipedes.

Parasitoids are insects that live on or in a host insect. They feed on the host and usually kill it in the process. Most are stingless wasps or flies that lay their eggs in a specific host. The eggs then hatch and feed on the host. This is a process that is difficult to see, but research shows that parasitoids contribute to the control of pests.