Have you ever heard of 'buying' beneficial insect eggs for the garden? Lacewings are one the most successful to release. Ladybugs will fly back home where ever they were raised so forget them. A healthy garden will usually have a good balance of insects but not always. Lacewings are voracious eaters of aphids, up to 100 per day.
Above are lacewings eggs on pine needles. I have run across these many times, so cool looking. They bob around on this thin strand.
Above is the larval stage of the lace wing. Looks very similar to the larval stage of the lady bug. Take a good look so you don't kill them......they are the good guys despite how they appear. The clue is vicious pinchers, they don't need those to eat plants but to devour other insects.
The adult Green Lacewing, much more elegant than it's younger self. At this stage you may not notice them much as they are very camoflagued in the garden. They are native to our area, so start looking for these guys.
Above shows their complete life cycle. Earthworks seldom uses pesticides. Insects are the least of my problems. Weeds. They are my problem! Any type of insecticide, organic or not will likely kill these garden friends. You can buy insect eggs at
www.gardensalive.com
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