Beneficial insects in your farm & garden A. Roles of beneficial insects B. Meet the beneficial insects (and other arthropods)

C. Invasives to watch out for Great Black Wasp; C.A.S. Mazzacano Celeste A. Searles Mazzacano, Ph.D. D. Creating & maintaining habitat Presented for EMSWCD Rural Land Program E. Resources

Convergent Lady Beetle; Seven-spotted Lady Beetle; C.A.S. Mazzacano © 2016 C. A. Searles Mazzacano C.A.S. Mazzacano 1 2

Benefits of insects

• improve soil conditions

• food for wildlife

• Wood Ground Beetle; medical benefits iNaturalist, oldbilluk

• recreation

River Jewelwing; C.A.S. Mazzacano

Cedar Waxwing eating Oregon Zoo; Red Satyr; dragonfly; Larry Rea C.A.S. Mazzacano C.A.S. Mazzacano

3 4 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Benefits of insects Benefits of insects

• decomposers • pollination - beetles and flies break - 70% of flowering plants down & recycle animal dung pollinated by insects and carcases - bees, flies, beetles, moths Soldier Beetle; David Hebert - beetles, flies, termites break Burying Beetle; C.A.S. Mazzacano down plant material

Yellow-faced Bumble Bee; “tumblebug”; Black Soldier Fly; Dung Beetles; Sweat Bee; C.A.S. Mazzacano Flower Fly; Thomas Bresson C.A.S. Mazzacano C.A.S. Mazzacano C.A.S. Mazzacano C.A.S. Mazzacano

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Benefits of insects Natural Pest Control

• natural pest control • Predators

- predators - consume pest eggs, larvae, and/or adults - parasitoids - beetles, lacewings, wasps, flies, bugs, thrips, mantids, spiders, mites

Assassin bug; kestrel360, iNaturalist

7 8 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Natural Pest Control Predators

Japanese Giant Mantis; Spined Assassin Bug; • Parasitoids C.A.S. Mazzacano Judy Welna, iNaturalist

- lay eggs or insert larvae in or near host; developing larvae feed externally or internally on body of living host

- host dies when parasitoids become adults

- wasps, flies Western Red Lady Beetle; C.A.S. Mazzacano Black and Yellow Garden Spider; Great Black Wasp; Tachinid fly getting ready to Kammy Kern-Korot C.A.S. Mazzacano parasitize elm leaf beetle larva; Jack Kelly Clark/UC Davis

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Predators - Beetles Predators - Beetles

Lady Beetles Ground Beetles

• round to oval • broadly oval; dark to metallic

• bright colors, bold Convergent Lady Beetle; • European Ground Beetle;Biopix, EoL C.A.S. Mazzacano large jaws, sculpted wing spotted patterns covers Lady Beetle larva; bugguide.net, • Jerry McCormick larvae & adults eat • larvae & adults eat insect aphids, scales, eggs, caterpillars, snails mites, caterpillars,

insect eggs Sorrowful Lady Beetle; C.A.S. Mazzacano

Multi-colored Asian Lady Beetle; C.A.S. Mazzacano Snail-eating Beetle; Ken-ichi Ueda larva; Phil Myers

11 12 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Predators - Beetles Predators - Beetles

Soldier Beetles Rove Beetles • long body, soft wing • elongated dark body covers, long antennae

• short wing covers • yellow/orange & Podabrus Soldier Beetle; vncdatatech01 expose abdomen Rove Beetle; Joyce Gross black markings

• eat small soil organisms • eat mealybugs, aphids, soil organisms

Margined Leatherwing; David Hebert Devil’s Coach Horse; Cedric Lee

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Predators - Lacewings Predators - Wasps

Brown & Green Lacewings Paper Wasps, Digger Wasps

• • soft delicate body; loose, build nest of chewed fibers, nest oval, multi-veined wings Green Lacewing; C.A.S. Mazzacano in existing holes, or dig tunnels

• bring live paralyzed prey to young • eat mealybugs, aphids, Polistes aurifer paper wasp; Edward Rooks scales, caterpillars

Green Lacewing egg

European Paper wasp; Brown Lacewing; James Bailey Sphex digger wasp; paper wasp nest; C.A.S. Mazzacano C.A.S. Mazzacano Andrea Joy Davis

15 16 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Predators - Flies Predators - Flies

Flower Flies Robber flies

• larvae eat aphids, • adults eat anything scale insects they can catch

Laphria robber fly with blister beetle; Toxomerus syrphid; MJ Hatfield C.A.S. Mazzacano • adults are bee mimics, • larvae prey on insect pollinators larvae in leaf litter, loose soil, decaying wood

Giant Robber Fly; Helophilis syrphid; C.A.S. Mazzacano C.A.S. Mazzacano

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Predators - Bugs Predators - Bugs

Assassin Bugs & Ambush Bugs Damsel Bugs

• large body; flared abdomen • small, slender, yellow/brown body • stout needle-like mouthparts • thickened forelegs Nabis roseipennis; • eat anything Jason Michael Crockwell they can catch • eat insect larvae, Assassin bug; kestrel360, iNaturalist small insects, eggs

Nabicula subcoleoptrata; Phymata americana; Jason Michael Crockwell Kurt Schaefer

19 20 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Predators - Bugs Predators - Bugs

Minute Pirate Bugs Big-eyed Bugs

• tiny, straight-sided body • small oval body

• black & white pattern • broad head with big bulging eyes Anthocoris musculus; • eat spider mites, thrips, Lynette Elliott aphids, insect eggs • eat small insects, mites, eggs Geocoris; Jack Dykinga, USDA

Geocoris uliginosus; Lyle J. Buss, U of FL

Minute Pirate Bug nymph; Lynette Elliott

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Predators - Bugs Predators - Mantids

Praying Mantis Predatory Stink Bugs • large elongated body; brown or green • triangular brown/grey body with shield-like cover • triangular head, large eyes Two-spotted Stink Bug; Matthew Priebe • eat large prey such as • strong spiny forelegs caterpillars & beetle larvae Mantis religiosa; C.A.S. Mazzacano • eat whatever they can catch

Stagmomantis californica egg case; Rough Stink Bug; Lynette Elliott Stagmomantis californica; randomtruth C.A.S. Mazzacano

23 24 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Predators - Thrips Predators - Spiders

Banded-winged, Black Hunter, & Six-spotted Thrips Spiders Cross Spider; C.A.S. Mazzacano

• • long, minute, round body, 8 legs Black and Yellow Garden Spider; C.A.S. Mazzacano slender body Aeolothrips; Christophe Quinton • often bright • strap-like, colors or patterns feathery wings Black Hunter Thrips • web builders & • active hunters eat mites Zebra Jumping Spiders; C.A.S. Mazzacano • eat whatever they can catch

Black Hunter Thrips; Ilona L. Franklinothrips nymph; Jack Kelly Clark/UC Davis Wolf Spider; C.A.S. Mazzacano

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Predators - Mites Predators - Centipedes

Predatory Mites Red Velvet Mite; Univ. of WI-Milwaukie Centipedes • tiny, pear-shaped, shiny body • long segmented body • 6 or 8 legs • 1 pair of legs/segment • fast-moving Stone Centipede; • eat small arthropods iNaturalist, Cristophe Quintin • eat thrips, spider mites, in & on the soil insect eggs

Western Predatory Mites eating Spider Mite; UC Davis centipede; iNaturalist, Paul Heiple

27 28 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Parasitoids Parasitoids - Flies

Tachinid Flies Tachinid; Jack Kelly Clark/UC Davis

• resemble house flies but Braconid; kimberlietx, iNaturalist with stout bristly hairs on

Braconid pupae on Sphinx moth Tachinid; BioImages, EoL larva; Tim Guida, iNaturalist tip of abdomen

Trogus ichneumonid; Lea Gelling, iNaturalist • parasitize caterpillars, beetles, bugs, earwigs, grasshoppers

Tachinid eggs on leafroller caterpillar; Bee fly; Siegrun Storer, EoL Jack Kelly Clark/UC Davis

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Parasitoids - Flies Parasitoids - Wasps

Bee Flies Ichneumonid and Braconid Wasps

parasitized catalpa caterpillar; John Obermeyer/Purdue Entomology • hairy, brightly colored • long slender body

• wings held to side at rest • long antennae & ovipositor

• adults are pollinators • parasitize caterpillars, beetles, wasps, bugs, Ichneumonid wasp; Nuytsia@Tas

• Braconid larvae exiting host; larvae parasitoids of soil- flies, aphids UC Davis

dwelling beetles, wasps, Braconid on grape leaffolder; Bee Fly (IVilla sp.): UC Davis caterpillars, bees C.A.S. Mazzacano

31 32 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Parasitoids - Wasps Invasive Insects to Watch For

Japanese Beetle; C.A.S. Mazzacano Gypsy Moth pheromone trap; Paul Gordy Trichogrammatid Wasps

• tiny (<1 mm), Trichogramma attacking corn earworm egg; UC Davis compact body

• short antennae, Japanese Beetle; Les Mehrhoff, Discover Life hairy wings Gypsy Moths; Tom Murray • parasitize insect eggs

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Invasive Insects to Watch For Invasive Insects to Watch For

Japanese Beetle Japanese Beetle

• medium-sized oval scarab (0.5”) • adults eat >300 tree & vine fruits, crops, shrubs, trees • bright metallic green thorax, coppery wings Ohio State University • prefer grape, apple, cherry, peach, plum, rose, corn Purdue Extension • 2 small white hair tufts behind wings, 5 patches on each side of abdomen • larvae pests in turf grass

• larvae C-shaped, up to 1” long • several detections & eradications in OR Univ. of IL Extension Ohio State University

35 36 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Invasive Insects to Watch For Invasive Insects to Watch For

Asian Gypsy Moth Asian Gypsy Moth

• females 2”, white/cream wings; • eggs in oblong masses on males 1.5”, dark brown trees, covered with scales

John H. Ghent, USDA Forest Service • several detections & • feed on >500 spp. eradications in Oregon of trees & shrubs Purdue Extension • defoliation, landscape- scale devastation

John H. Ghent, USDA Forest Service

John H. Ghent, USDA Forest Service

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For reporting, information, and resources: Creating habitat

• Oregon Department of Agriculture: www.oda.state.us

• Oregon Forest Pest Detectors: pestdetector.forestry.oregonstate.edu

• Oregon Invasives Hotline: oregoninvasiveshotline.org

Portland OR; C.A.S. Mazzacano

39 40 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

• complex landscapes with semi- “If you build it, they will come”… natural habitat give natural enemies:

• conservation - shelter from land management biocontrol disturbances

flower fly; C.A.S. Mazzacano • better to create - overwintering habitat habitat for local species than - alternative prey to buy insects - additional energy sources (nectar, pollen) flowering cover crop in California vineyard to enhance beneficials; after Nicholls & Altieri, 2013 ground beetle; C.A.S. Mazzacano

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Creating & maintaining habitat Natural Pest Control

Potential costs Potential benefits • additional benefits of beneficial insect habitat:

• loss of cultivated land • program aid (i.e. NRCS), - enhance pollinator area/product yield higher prices for populations environmentally friendly • cost of site prep & practices - sustain additional wildlife planting (labor, seeds, machinery) • reduced pesticide use - mitigate runoff

Bumble bee on daisy; • monitoring & maintaining • increased soil fertility - reduce soil erosion C.A.S. Mazzacano newly-planted habitat & water quality - suppress weeds • potential variability • income (wildflower seeds,

Oregon tiger beetle; in outcomes game bird hunting) C.A.S. Mazzacano

43 44 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

Prepare planting area Sustainable Living Center Oregon • survey in advance to find types • exhaust weed seed bank of beneficials already present - till-water-mow-weed • soil preparation & weed (hand pull, flame, spot-treat) control important during establishment • smother cropping (buckwheat, millets, sorghum grasses)

• alyssum strips, Stahlbush Island solarization Farms; OSU Extension

buckwheat cover crop; Alex Stone, OSU Extension

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Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

Seeding cultipacker; Forestry Supply Seeding • aerial/broadcast or seed drill • if broadcast seeding, • even distribution, firm with roller or good contact with soil cultipacker

• mix with bulking agent • 1/8”- 1/4” deep (sand, sawdust) Texas A&M Univ. • thin cover of straw • seed from 2 different mulch directions wildflower seed mix; Central Coast gardening Texas A&M Univ.

47 48 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

BEFORE Weed control Weed control • tillage or herbicide on cropland before planting • denser plantings help establish full cover faster Royal Horticultural Society • hand pull or spot-treat AFTER • mulch gaps or • mow annual weeds use weed cloth before they flower (8-12” mower height)

Texas A&M Univ.

Northwest Meadowscapes 49 50

Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

Common name bloom time

• plant from seeds or plugs California poppy* spring • flowers for nectar & pollen globe gillia* spring • strip or block plantings in trillium spring - increases survival, fecundity crop field or orchard self-heal early summer farewell-to-spring* early summer • insects with small mouthparts, zinnea yarrow summer short tongues • flowering cover crops Oregon sunshine summer showy milkweed summer • field borders & hedgerows lupine summer - good landing pad & Douglas aster fall easy access important Canada goldenrod fall

blue wild rye N/A

*annual yarrow; C.A.S. Mazzacano

51 52 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

Spirea; C.A.S. Mazzacano • annuals provide nectar, • designate at least 10% of pollen, egg-laying sites space to plants for beneficials • perennials provide stable habitat • provide bloom ~Feb. - Oct. yarrow • flowering herbs very attractive • variety of flower shapes Trillium; (umbel, daisy, spike, ball) C.A.S. Mazzacano

Baby Blue Eyes; C.A.S. Mazzacano 53 54

Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

Oregon Grape; C.A.S. Mazzacano • Late spring flowers: • Early spring flowers: - Red columbine - Oregon grape - Pacific bleeding heart - Red-flowering currant Red Columbine; C.A.S. Mazzacano - Oregon iris - Black twinberry

- Spring beauty

Black Twinberry; Spring Beauty; Keir Morse C.A.S. Mazzacano Pacific Bleeding Heart Oregon Iris; WSU Extension

55 56 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

• Summer • Late summer/fall

- Tapertip & nodding onion - West Coast goldenrod

- Showy milkweed - Pearly everlasting

Tapertip Onion; - Graceful Colorado Wildflowers - Slender tarweed West Coast Goldenrod; cinquefoil Univ. of Waterloo - Asters

Showy Milkweed; Graceful Cinquefoil; Ben Legler C.A.S. Mazzacano Slender Tarweed; Mark Turner Pearly Everlasting; Al Schneider

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Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

• trees & shrubs give shelter • grass clumps provide from sun, wind, rain, shelter, overwintering habitat predators - California brome-grass - willow, Indian plum, maple Blue elderberry; Mike Cardwell - Blue Wild-rye - roses (baldhip, Nootka, swamp), elderberry, oceanspray fescue; C.A.S. Mazzacano

California brome-grass: Matt Lavin Swamp rose; C.A.S. Mazzacano

59 60 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

Integrated pest management (IPM): • patches of undisturbed soil • ecosystem-based strategy that preserves natural • water source system as much as possible

• long-term prevention of pests/damage C.A.S. Mazzacano using multiple techniques

- biological control, habitat manipulation, planting & watering practices, using

resistant varieties wildflower meadow; C.A.S. Mazzacano C.A.S. Mazzacano

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Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

Oleander aphids on rush milkweed; • Reduce/eliminate pesticides Oleander aphids on rush milkweed; • Reduce/eliminate pesticides C.A.S. Mazzacano C.A.S. Mazzacano - removing natural enemies - disrupt natural enemies may allow additional pests to establish - pests faster to disperse & re-colonize treated areas - non-lethal levels can than natural enemies impair longevity, reproduction, foraging

63 64 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

Oleander aphids on rush milkweed; C.A.S. Mazzacano • if pesticides used, treat to • build healthy soil suppress target organism only • proper plant placement • spot-treat when possible and irrigation

Indian plum; C.A.S. Mazzacano • minimize risks to human • “scout” your gardens health, non-target organisms, & environment • tolerate some damage

Black Twinberry; C.A.S. Mazzacano

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Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

Tallamy, generalist insect biomass Generalist insects on perennials on woody plants in PA 500 Native plants Alien plants • vegetated buffers protect from spray drift 375

250 • plant - permeable (40-50% porosity)

Insect biomass (mg/g leaf) mostly 125 natives 0 July 2004 August 2004 July 2005 August 2005 - multiple rows; narrow leaves, needles Ballard, 2006

Tallamy, herbivorous insects on Tallamy, caterpillars on native vs alien woody plants in PA woody plants in PA - at least 2X taller than crop

- intercept prevailing winds

www.omafra.gov.on.ca

67 68 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

• strips & blocks hedgerow; Frederique Lavoipierre

- dense plantings • hedgerows

- intersperse rows in fields

- include trees, Insectary garden; New Mexico State University shrubs, understory

Insectary garden; Rincon-Vitova hedgerow; Janet Allen

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Creating & maintaining habitat Creating & maintaining habitat

insect hotel; Cheshire Wildlife Trust Beetle banks

• shelter for ground beetles

• berm planted in bunch grasses (blue wild rye, California oatgrass, slender wheatgrass, prairie junegrass)

• can add wildflowers • insect hotels provide brush pile, insect hotel; Susan Mulvihill scale model beetle bank, Tualatin, East snag, & nesting tunnel habitat Multnomah and West Multnomah SWCD

71 72 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Resources Resources

• Encouraging beneficial insects in your garden, https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/ catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/files/project/pdf/pnw550.pdf

• A pocket guide to common natural enemies of crop and garden pests in the Pacific Northwest, http://ipmnet.org/ Pocket_Guide_of_Natural_Enemies.pdf

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Resources Resources

• Beneficial insects, spiders, and other mini- creatures, http://whatcom.wsu.edu/gardenshare/ documents/Attracting_Beneficials.pdf

• Meet the Beneficials, http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/FAQ/ natural-enemies-poster.pdf

75 76 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016 Resources Visit emswcd.org to find • CanVis: free software; additional workshops create visual simulation and resources! from scanned photo (http://nac.unl.edu/simulation/ products.htm#canvis)

• Conservation Buffers (http:// nac.unl.edu/buffers/docs/ conservation_buffers.pdf)

- ¡también disponible * annual native en español! plant sale!

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Questions? Celeste A. Searles Mazzacano, [email protected]

Yellow-faced Bumble Bee; Netwinged Beetle, C.A.S. Mazzacano C.A.S. Mazzacano

Cardinal Meadowhawk; Western Swallowtail, C.A.S. Mazzacano C.A.S. Mazzacano

Copyright © 2016 Celeste A. Searles Mazzacano. All rights reserved. This presentation or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.

79 Searles Mazzacano_EMSWCD Beneficials Rural Lands - November 16, 2016