Your friends and enemies in the orchard
There are many different insects in any garden, most often in orchards. Some of them are good for your garden, and some of them are bad for you. This is the reason why any gardener should be able to distinguish and identify allies and opponents in horticulture if it is their craft or simply their hobby. If you get a lot of knowledge in this field of agronomy, you can increase the efficiency of your work and turn your activity into real art.
What kind of insects damage plants
Insects like this are common. Each of them does different damage. One species destroys the upper parts of the plant, leaves and fruits. Other species are harmful to the root system of the tree. Many insects spoil tree leaves, such as Rhynchites auratus, Rhynchites bacchus.
Insects that spoil buds, fruits and leaves are:
- Psylla pyricola,
- Anthonomus pomorum,
- Scarabaeidae sensu lato.
The third type of beetle is Melolontha. Scolytinae harm to «skeletal» parts of the plant, including tree trunks. Melolonthinae and Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa damages the root system.
Useful insects
If you know little about gardening, you might be surprised that many insects are useful. They make it possible to avoid insecticides or to significantly reduce their use, and they also increase the ecological efficiency of your sowing. For example, they are pest control assistants such as Coccinellidae, Reduviidae, Mantis religiosa, Carabidae. Common wasps also cleanse the orchard as they feed their offspring by mining insects that harm your fruit trees.
That’s why not all insects are bad in the garden but can be useful. In addition, you must be able to distinguish between them. However, you should have a cautious approach to pest control, because you may be at risk of causing significant imbalances in the ecosystem. Besides, you should approach the selection of insecticides with caution too. If you have the option not to use them, then it is a good thing because you can replace them with electric insect traps.
