A Note From “The Hoe.” Friendly Insects

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 99, 21 January 1935, Page 7

A Note From “The Hoe.” Friendly Insects

So many people regard all insects as enemies of the garden that a few words of caution are opportune at this season when the air at dusk is so full of life. All insects are not man’s enemies; in fact many of them can be counted among his best friends. Let us consider just a few of the better-known creatures. Only a week or so ago I beard of an enthusiast who had gone out to a garden pool and massacred dozens of frogs. I wonder why? He certainly could not have known that the frog is the world’s champion insect catcher. A lady recently wrote me seeking advice for the destruction of dragon flies. Again, I wonder why? Dragon flies feed on a great variety of injurious insect pests, and are unquestionably among a gardener’s good friends. Most people know that the pretty little lady-bird beetles are very industrious destroyers of green .fly and certain scale pests. In fact, so valuable are these little creatures that “lady-bird farms” have been established in the United . States to supply horticulturists with them to combat certain orchard pests. Lizards live on insects, and so do garden spiders. Ground beetles feed largely on insects which go into the ground to pupate, and bees, of course, are almost indispensable to plant life. oiiiiniiuiiiiiiiilillillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll