Good bugs and Bad bugs
It’s hard to use the phrase “good bugs and bad bugs” without it sounding like you are saying “good cop bad cop”. The phrase “good bug bad bug” doesn’t have the same meaning, but it does have the same flow. And what’s a blog about good bugs bad bugs without a slight detour into the number four “good cop bad cop” movie which is Beverly Hills Cop? Other than the allure of Eddie Murphy, I am not much of a cop movie person, so honestly, I had to look up the definition of good cop/bad cop. If you have read any of my blogs about bugs and lawns, you know I would try anything to parlay this into a conversation about pop culture. It just didn’t work this time.
But what about his laugh?
Sorry, guys. I had to do it.
Back to good bugs and bad bugs. In Mississippi, people are always saying that every bug has a purpose, that every bug does something good. But there’s always that one exception. The mosquito. The jury must still be out on what good a mosquito does, but there are good bugs. Good bugs are protecting our gardens and crops and lawns.
Some of the best “good bugs” in our area include:
- Lady Bugs or Lady Beetles, they eat aphids and rescue our beloved Crape Myrtle trees from bark scale when they can.
- Green Lacewing, their larvae eat aphids and other insects that destroy our lawns.
- The Brachonid Wasp lays eggs on the very destructive Tomato Horn Worm. When the eggs hatch, they eat the horn worm. If a horror movie writer hasn’t used that visual yet, they are missing out.
When you are looking over your lawn and garden, be aware that not all bugs are bad. Don’t go stomping and spraying everything that crawls and flies. Do a little research before you kill the one thing that may be saving your tomatoes! This quote from https://www.gardentech.com/blog/pest-id-and-prevention/identifying-good-and-bad-bugs-in-your-garden-infographic says it all, “Some insects are destructive and should be controlled, but of the more than 1.5 million known insect species in the world, more than 97 percent are beneficial to gardens, or simply benign. “
Now, for the bad bugs. How do you tell if they are bad?
While it is easy to just call the experts like Lawn and Pest Solutions, you could do a few quick things.
- Is the bug eating your plants, grass, garden? Does the eating appear to be doing damage to the plant? Probably “bad bugs”.
- Is there one bug or is there an infestation ? Probably “bad bugs”.
Who are the “bad bugs”?
For our area, the bugs that are considered to be “bad bugs” include chinch bugs and white grubs . These insects attack our lawns and cause damage there. Insects that we are probably more familiar with are those that attack US like fire ants, wasps and ticks. How is it that no one mentions mosquitoes in these lists of bad bugs? If bad bugs have made their way into your lawn, we are just a click away. Good bugs are abundant, bad bugs get all of the attention. Let us help you get rid of the bad bugs and we will leave the good ones alone. Our licensed professionals know good bugs versus bad bugs and are glad to come evaluate your situation. You can spot our trucks all over North Mississippi and in the Memphis area. See for yourself, the “Lawn and Pest Solutions Difference”.
