Showing posts with label Insect. Show all posts
Benefits and Value of Insects
(Master Garden Products)
Insects need to be studied carefully to distinguish the beneficial from
the harmful. People have often gone to great trouble and expense to
destroy quantities of insects, only to learn later that the insect
destroyed was not only harmless but was actually engaged in saving their
crops by eating destructive insects. Most entomologists have had
correspondents send in the larvae of lady beetles with the complaint
that they were injuring plants; at the same time overlooking the smaller
aphids which were causing the injury and which these larvae were
continually devouring.
Insects are beneficial to the gardener in several ways:
- Insects aid in the production of fruits, seeds, vegetables,and flowers, by pollinizing the blossoms. Most common fruits are pollinized by insects. Melons, squash, and many other vegetables require insects to carry their pollen before fruits set. Many ornamental plants, both in the greenhouse and out of doors, are pollinated by insects for example, chrysanthemums, iris, orchids, and yucca.
- Parasitic insects destroy other injurious insects by living on or in their bodies and their eggs. Insects also act as predators, capturing and devouring other insects.
- Insects destroy various weeds in the same ways that they injure crop plants.
- Insects improve the physical condition of the soil and promote its fertility by burrowing throughout the surface layer. Also, the dead bodies and droppings of the insects serve as fertilizer.
- Insects perform a valuable service as scavengers by devouring the bodies of dead animals and plants and by burying carcasses and dung.
Many
of the benefits from insects enumerated above, although genuine,are
insignificant compared with the good that insects do fighting among
themselves. There is no doubt that the greatest single factor in keeping
plant-feeding insects from overwhelming the rest of the world is that
they are fed upon by other insects. It is easy to see how the industry
of insects and their devotion to purpose, when coupled with almost
unlimited numbers, can benefit us when they seek and devour myriads of
pests scattered over a farm or a forest.
Attracting Beneficial Insects
Attracting
and maintaining a population of beneficial insects are important to
managing insect pests in your garden with a minimum of pesticide sprays.
Tiny parasitoid wasps are aggressive beyond their size when it comes to
pursuing aphids and caterpillars. Lacewing larvae and ladybug larvae
and adults make inroads on aphid populations. Ground beetles prey on a
variety of ground-dwelling pests.
These
various beneficial insects consume large numbers of pest insects, but
their diets are not limited to other insects. In fact, many of the
beneficial species have periods in their life cycles when they survive
only on nectar and pollen. Therefore, planting a variety of insectary
plants will ensure an adequate supply of nutrients to keep beneficial
insects going strong. Insectary plants also include those plants that
provide shelter for beneficial insects, another critical requirement.
At
one time, hedge rows that separated one field or garden from the next
provided an ample supply of insectary plants to feed and shelter a
variety of beneficial insects. The wide variety of plants in a hedge
row, including small trees and shrubs as well as perennial and annual
weeds, typically leaf out and bloom earlier than most crop plants,
providing beneficial insects with an early food supply.
Most
gardens today are too small for a hedge row. An alternative is to plant
a border of dwarf fruit and flowering trees mixed with flowering shrubs
and perennials. Such a border could be a landscape feature and screen
the vegetable garden from view. At the same time, it would provide many
of the benefits of the traditional hedge row.
Plan
an insectary border for successive bloom from early spring through
fall, providing nectar throughout the season. This will not only satisfy
the needs of many beneficial insects, but also provide color in the
garden. Avoid vigorous chemical control of pests found in the insectary
border; after all, you don't want to kill beneficial insects. Also, any
pests in the border may become hosts for beneficial insects should prey
levels be low in the garden you are trying to protect.
Including
plants of different heights can be very important. Ground beetles
require the cover provided by low-growing plants. Lacewings lay their
eggs in shady, protected areas, so providing such places near crop
plants is a good idea.
Selective
weeding can encourage beneficial insects by leaving potential food
sources in the garden. Allowing certain volunteers to remain in the
garden is somewhat like random companion planting. Just know what weeds
or volunteers are helpful. Not all blooms are equal -- large,
nectar-filled blooms actually can drown tiny parasitoid wasps. Tiny
flowers produced in large quantity are much more valuable than a single,
large bloom.
Many
members of the Apiaceae (formerly known as Umbelliferae) family are
excellent insectary plants. Fennel, angelica, coriander, dill, and wild
carrot all provide in great number the tiny flowers required by
parasitoid wasps. Various clovers, yarrow, and rue also attract
parasitoid and predatory insects. Low-growing plants, such as thyme,
rosemary, or mint, provide shelter for ground beetles and other
beneficial insects. Composite flowers (daisy and chamomile) and mints
(spearmint, peppermint, or catnip) will attract predatory wasps, hover
flies, and robber flies. The wasps will catch caterpillars and grubs to
feed their young, while the predatory and parasitoid flies attack many
kinds of insects, including leafhoppers and caterpillars.
Of
course, you also may plant species that are not noted for harboring
beneficial insects. There is no rule that says an insectary border must
be limited to insectary plants.
Scientists Make Silkworms 'Spin Spider webs'
Scientists have genetically engineered silkworms to make artificial spider silk.
It
is hoped the breakthrough could lead to the development of stronger
fibres for textiles, bandages for burn victims and bullet-proof vests.
The
GM silkworms spin tough fibres containing spider silk proteins that are
more elastic and extensible, making it more suitable for use in a range
of medical applications.
Territorialism and cannibalism among spiders pose challenges to spider farming as a viable means of manufacturing silk.
Dr
Donald Jarvis, of the University of Wyoming in the United States, and
colleagues created transgenic silkworms expressing spider gene
sequences.
Spider
silk proteins have been long produced in transgenic bacterial, yeast,
plant, insect and mammalian cells. However, previous attempts to
incorporate them into fibres spun by silkworms led to relatively low
yields.
But
the new technique, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, led to fibres at least as tough as spider silk and stronger
than those spun by silkworms.
So silkworms may be used as factories for manufacturing tough silk fibres containing spider silk proteins, said the researchers.
Dr
Jarvis said: "Spider silks have enormous potential as biomaterials for
various applications, but serious obstacles to spider farming preclude
the natural manufacturing approach.
"Thus, there is a need to develop an effective biotechnological approach for spider silk fibre production.
"In
addition to being used as sutures, silk fibres hold great potential as
biomaterials for wound dressings, artificial ligaments, tendons, tissue
scaffolds, microcapsules, and other applications.
"Silkworms
are the current biological source of silk sutures, but spider silk
fibres have superior mechanical properties that are ideal for procedures
requiring finer sutures, such as ocular, neurological, and cosmetic
surgeries.
How to Control Stink Bugs | Useful Tips
Posted by Unknown in Gardening, Insect, Pest Management on Friday, 25 January 2013
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
There
are a number of options which can be used to control stink bugs,
although there is no one “best option” to deal with these insect pests.
One important consideration is that many stink bugs are resistant to
common pesticides, so people who are considering chemical control should
be sure to identify the stink bugs in question in order to use the
appropriate chemical controls. It can also help to use the services of a
company which specializes in such infestations, since stink bugs can be
quite pernicious.
Stink
bugs are insects in the Pentatomidae family, and as the common name for
these bugs implies, they stink. The animals emit small amounts of a
noxious substance from glands under the bodies to deter predators and
send signals to other stink bugs. In the garden, stink bugs can wreak
havoc on crops as well as generating an unpleasant smell, and in the
home, a stink bug invasion can be quite unpleasant.
If
you have stink bugs in your garden, the first thing you should do is
remove weeds, because the bugs can use the weeds as a cover. To deter
the bugs from your house, remove weeds and foliage near the house,
forcing the animals to cross barren ground to gain access to the
structure. After you have removed weeds and other foliage which could be
used as cover, you can try scattering kaolin clay around the area, or
spray your plants with a kaolin clay solution. Stink bugs are not able
to lay eggs and feed on plants covered in this harmless mineral clay,
which can simply be washed off any vegetables and fruits.
If
you're lucky, your stink bugs will be attacked by predators and
parasites. A number of organisms will attack stink bug eggs, and while
these organisms are not available for commercial sale, they may be
present in your area, especially if you live in an agricultural
community. Many state-sponsored stink bug control methods have focused
on the release of such parasites, protecting crops and gardens in the
areas that they are released.
If
these measures do not work, a number of companies produce organic
insecticide soaps which are targeted at stink bugs, and you can also use
chemical insecticides which are formulated for various stink bug
species. Before using insecticides, however, be aware that insecticides
are highly toxic and difficult to deal with, and they should really only
be considered as a last resort.
If
stink bugs have penetrated your house, the first thing you need to do
is to stop the problem from getting any worse. Use caulk to seal the
house thoroughly, paying special attention to the areas where stink bugs
are crawling through. Then, use a vacuum to suck up the bugs; you don't
want to crush or kill them, because this could attract more stink bugs
and feed other insect populations in your house. Once you have pulled as
many stink bugs out of the house as possible, empty the vacuum canister
outside, or throw out the bag. You may need to repeat this process
several times if the bugs are in the walls.
