Beyond the Ladybugs – Program Recap

Published June 3, 2026

Our gardens and yards are full of insects, yet we often fail to recognize that not all bugs are bad. In fact, there are plenty of good bugs that can help stave off troublesome pests.

Thank you to Liza Zambito from the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Hunterdon County for an examination of beneficial insects that can help keep our gardens and yards healthy. When we see insect pests, we immediately think of pesticides to solve our problems, but there are plenty of “good” bugs out there that can help maintain healthy plants and keep the nuisances insects in check. The more we can cater to the needs of the “good” bugs, the better our garden and yard will be. So let’s creep and crawl our way through some of the most beneficial insects we should attract to keep a healthy garden.

The Good Bugs

• Parasitic Wasps
• Bigeyed Bugs
• Four-Banded Stink Bug Wasp
• Assassin Bugs
• Robber Flies
• Tachinid Flies
• Dragonflies and Damselflies
• Lacewings
• Ladybugs
• Praying Mantids

There are more than 500,000 species of parasitic wasps in the United States; most are so small, that we would not be able to distinguish them as wasps. One of the native parasitic wasps New Jersey is the Aphidius wasp.

Parasitic wasps lay eggs inside or on the body of the host. When the eggs hatch, the larvae will eat the inside of the host before pupating inside the host, bursting out when fully mature. Parasitic wasps lap their eggs in a variety of arthropods, including caterpillars, aphids, beetles, flies, and other insects.

Adult parasitic wasps feed on nectar so you can attract them with small, flowering plants.

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Bigeyed bugs are very small, only about a quarter of an inch long, but are distinguishable with their two large eyes, wide bodies, and short, thick antennas. They lie is mostly open spaces.

They feed by stabbing their prey with their mouth parts (some have stylets) and sucking out their innards. The nymphs eat smaller insects as well, such as mites, aphids, whiteflies, small caterpillars and leafhopppers.

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The Four-banded Stink Bug Wasp, more commonly referred to as a sand wasp, specifically target stink bug larvae. The adults, ranging from three quarters of an inch to one inch, hunt for stink bug larvae, sting and paralyze them, and then bring them back to their nest to feed the young wasps.

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Adult wasps are excellent pollinators and feed on nectar rather than stink bugs. They tend to dig tunnels in sandy soil, up to 1 foot deep, and while only active for about a month, will sting humans if provoked.

There are many species of assassin bugs and get their name for their quick and stealthy hunting habits. These insects may produce 2 generations in a year and lay their eggs in the autumn, usually under leaves or in rotting wood. The wingless nymphs go through 5 stages of maturation until adulthood.

Assassin bugs use their speed and front legs to grab unsuspecting prey and pierce the body with their peak, sucking out the prey’s innards. Assassin bugs will eat aphids, ear wigs, four-lined plant bugs, Japanese beetles, pine sawflies, and many others.

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Robber flies, commonly mistaken for dragonflies or horseflies, have long, slender bodies, hairy heads, and spiney legs. Measuring about one and a half inches long, adult females lay their eggs in soil or on tree bark and the larvae look like maggots.

The larvae eat insect eggs, soft bodied adult insects and worms. Adults hunting while flying, grabbing their prey and injecting poisonous saliva, killing it. Adults will eat four-lined bugs, mites, aphids, Japanese beetles, wasps, spiders, bees, butterflies, dragonflies, and damselflies.

The tacihnid fly does double duty in gardens, killings pests while also pollinating flowers. The tachinid fly lays its eggs inside or on other insects or on the leaves that other insects eat. Once on or in the host, the larvae hatch and eat the innards (starting with the nonessential tissue and then moving to the vital organs as the host grows) before emerging from the host body to pupate.

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There are over 183 species of dragonflies and damsel flies in New Jersey. Generally, they are found near ponds, streams, small lakes, and longer-lasting puddles. Females will lay over 100 eggs in or on the water and these flies will spend most of their life in the water in a larval stage with several moltings.

The larvae feast on smaller water insects. Adult dragonflies snatch their prey while flying, creating a holding basket with their forelegs while they consume it while damselflies are ambush predators, darting out from perches on grasses, sticks, and stalks.

Can’t tell the difference? Dragonflies have larger eyes that touch in the middle and rest with their wings spread out while damselflies have separated eyes and rest with their wings folded back along their body.

Lacewings have very clear wings that extend well past their green or brown bodies. Living roughly three months, there might be three to four generations of lacewings in a single year. Females will lay eggs on stalks near aphids, a favorite food for lacewing larvae.

The larvae have sickle-shaped jaws used to catch insects, impaling their victims while injecting them with poisonous saliva. Larvae and adults, who are nocturnal, will eat aphids, lacebugs, insect eggs, caterpillars and mites.

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One of the most famous of the “good” bugs, ladybugs can live for almost a year and have a built-in “antifreeze” in their body that protects them in the winter. They will go through four larval stages before they pupate, hatching within 3-12 days. Adults can eat up to 50 aphids a day while also consuming spider mites, scale, whiteflies, and little caterpillars.

There are 3 common types of praying mantis in New Jersey – Carolina, European, and Chinese.

All mantis types lay their eggs in the fall and live for 10-12 months.

Praying mantids ambush their pray, grabbing them with their forearms. They will eat aphids, ear wigs, four-lined plant bugs, leafhoppers, mosquitos, and more.

You may have noticed the terms larvae and nymph used to distinguish the young insects and there is a difference to be aware of – larvae become a pupa and cocoon themselves before adulthood, undergoing a complete metamorphosis while nymphs do not pupate.

Bring In The Bugs!

There are a variety of things we can do to entice more of these bugs into our gardens and yards. We can plant some of their favorite native plants like partridge pea, goldenrod, Joe Pye weed, and native grasses and asters, but that will only attract adults. The real secret to attracting and maintaining these beneficial insects all year is to make sure that you provide places for them to lay their eggs – keep leaves on the ground and don’t remove seed pod and stems in the fall as these make excellent nesting areas for insects. Also, if you reduce your pesticide use, it will help keep these bugs around as even organic pesticides are indiscriminate and will kill beneficial bugs.

More Information

If you are looking for more information on pest management, please check out the fact sheet from the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station from Rutgers University – https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.php?pid=E014. If you have any questions, please contact your county Rutgers Master Gardener program – https://extension.rutgers.edu/county.

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