On this page the following entries were made in the “Good Bugs” category. Check out other categories in our Archives.
Bug Blog Archives for “Good Bugs”
Like Adam and Eve, If Only
When some people enter the world of biocontrol — using good bugs to control bad bugs — they are hopeful and idealistic, but may have the wrong notion of what to expect. Some tend to think they can establish biocontrol agents in their garden, greenhouse, or other growing area as simply as making a single release then letting nature get to work. And while that’s a really cool thought, using biocontrol agents is more complicated than introducing one male bug and one female bug, like Adam and Eve, and spinning a little Barry White or Marvin Gaye on the phonograph. Population dynamics rule the day and need to be properly understood.
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Programmed by Nature
[…] none pose any real threat to us, our animals, or the plants we are treating.
We are often asked by people new to biological pest control if the good bugs we prescribe can become pests themselves. It stands to reason since risk perception is a notoriously weird science: many people tend to fear things they shouldn’t be terribly concerned with — shark attacks, for example, which strike roughly 1 in 3.9-million people — whereas hordes of folks seemingly ignore more serious threats like motor vehicle accidents which kill 1 in 88 people. Risk perception accounts for many people staying out of the water at the beach, but it doesn’t seem to stem the tide of those hitting the highway.
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The Mite Formally Known As Hypoaspis
Every once in a while a good bug goes in for a name overhaul. Some folks, taxonomists specifically, make a living doing this. Well, we’re just kidding on that front. Name changes are the result of myriad things ranging from oversight to discovery. Sometimes these changes rage back and forth, flip-flopping, while others cannot be agreed upon by the worldwide community, defeating the very purpose of the binomial nomenclature — a Latin name we can all agree on. But in any case, we’ve been informed that the predatory mite, Hypoaspis miles has been changed to Stratiolaelaps scimitus.
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Praying Mantis Egg Cases Now Available
Good news for those who have been patiently waiting: Our collectors have been busy and as a result the 2011 praying mantis egg cases are now available for purchase. Please note that due to seasonal supplies and demand, these are only available in our shop while supplies last.
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