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Many gardeners turn to pesticides to keep their plants safe, but there are actually bugs that can help tomato plants grow and thrive. These good bugs can be a gardener’s best friend because they keep away harmful pests and help plants grow in a natural, long-lasting way.
Different bugs help tomato plants in different ways. They could eat pests that hurt plants and are dangerous to humans. Some people put eggs inside the bugs, which later killed them.
In this article, I will take a closer look at the bugs that help tomato plants grow, how they work, and how you can attract them to your garden.
It has ladybirds, lacewings, spiders, tiny pirate bugs, Trichogramma wasps, paper wasps, spiders, and assassin bugs, which protect tomato plants. If you want to get rid of pests, plant blooming nectarine plants next to your tomatoes and use these bugs on them.
Many bugs and other pests like to eat tomato plants. In this in-depth look, we’ll talk about both bugs that help tomato plants and those that hurt them.
Beneficial Bugs that Help Tomato Plants Grow
Tomatoes can be affected by many diseases and pests. They could drink the sap from the plant, which would make them spoil. Here is a list of bugs that help tomato plants, which you might find interesting:
Ladybirds
Ladybirds are predatory bugs that eat dangerous pests that hurt tomato plants. To get them to come, you can plant marigolds next to tomatoes. But when it’s cold, it might come into your house.
Ladybugs help tomato plants grow. They are predatory bugs that eat many different kinds of bugs that live on or near tomato plants. Aphids, mites, mealybugs, whiteflies, spiders, and ants are some of the things they eat. You can also build ladybird hives as a way to protect yourself.
Spiders
Depending on the type, spiders on tomato plants can scare away grasshoppers, whiteflies, and aphids. Some spiders hunt for food, while others may use their webs to catch it.
Spiders on tomato plants don’t hurt tomatoes at all. They eat a lot of the pests that are known to cause trouble in gardens, so they are very important for healthy tomato plant growth.
Even though they are important in the garden, most gardeners know that they should be avoided when working in the garden. People are in danger from many kinds of spiders, like the black widow and the recluse.
Lacewings
Lacewings eat aphids that are eating tomato plants by eating their organs. Only their larvae eat bugs. Lacewings are small predator bugs that help keep pests away from tomato plants.
The larvae of green lacewings hunt for soft-bodied bugs. It eats aphids, but also thrips, whiteflies, spider mites, and mealybugs. They dunk the bugs’ fluid which makes their organs dissolve.
Most of their adult species don’t eat bugs, but instead eat honeydew, pollen, and nectar. You can buy them online or at stores that sell supplies for biological control.
Plants shouldn’t be sprayed with insecticides because they could kill lacewings. Once you get rid of the aphids, they might not come back to the garden for a long time.
Little pirate bugs
Pests that hurt tomato plants can be eaten by ” pirate bugs,” which are small bugs that hunt for food. They are fierce attackers who kill their prey completely. If you have flowers, they might visit your tomato garden.
The tiny predatory bugs are called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs. They eat many different things, like tomato plant pests like thrips, aphids, mites, whiteflies, moths, and tiny arthropods.
Even though they are small, they have strong instincts to hunt and can move quickly. They catch their food with their needle-like beaks while their front legs hold their wings still.
How to get rid of minute pirate bugs?
Get them out of your garden when your tomato plants are pest free. Their wings are white and black. They can eat at least 30 spider mites every single day. You can get these bugs to come to your garden if you have growing plants in your garden.
Paper Wasps
Paper wasps are good for tomatoes because they eat hornworms. They lay eggs inside the hornworm, which they then eat. If people bother them, they may sting.
Paper wasps are good at eating other bugs and spreading pollen. They are only mean when they are protecting their nests. They have long, thin waists and make paper nests with open cells.
They help tomato plants because they get rid of the terrible tomato hornworm. Put a lot of flowers that make pollen and nectar near tomato plants to bring this insect to your garden. Also, don’t use pesticides in your yard, because they could kill wasps.
Bugs with big eyes
Big-eyed bugs eat thrips, mites, aphids, and whiteflies, which are all bad for tomato plants. It has the usual big eyes that stick out. After the dangerous pests have been taken care of, it is best to get rid of them from the garden. A big-eyed bug is a tiny, helpful insect that is about 1/6 of an inch long.
They have needle-like mouthpieces that can take in fluids from the victim and inject enzymes to kill them. If they don’t have any bugs, they might start sucking the sap out of fruits instead. Once you’ve gotten rid of all the bugs in the tomato garden, you can take them out right away.
Stink bugs
At every stage of development, stink bugs eat different pests that are harmful to tomatoes. They get the fluids from the prey. You can use pheromone attractants to get bugs to come to your garden. Stink bugs are another type of insect that eats other bugs and is often used to keep pests away from crops. When they are moved or crushed, they smell.
They eat a wide range of pests, including Colorado potato beetles and bugs that eat tomatoes. They will continue to hunt throughout all of their life stages. They get the blood from their victims by sucking on their sharp beaks.
Trichogramma Wasp
Pests like tomato hornworms and weeds are eaten by Trichogramma wasps, which are small, helpful bugs. You can get these bugs to come to your garden by putting flowers near the tomatoes.
Most of the time, parasitic wasps called Trichogramma to attack the eggs of moths and worms. It could be useful in the fight against the scary tomato hornworms and other pests that hurt tomato plants.
They are small bugs with short antennae and eyes that are reddish-purple. They are about 0.3mm long and are so small that most people don’t even notice them. You might use fewer pesticides in your garden to keep these helpful bugs around. You can also give small flowers with nectar on them.
Assassin bugs
Assassin bugs are predatory bugs with beaks that are curved in a way that makes them stand out. They watch over tomato plants and eat tomato hornworms.
The bodies of assassin bugs are oval, their legs are long, their heads are small, and their beaks are curved. They look like stink bugs. They get the body fluids from their prey and use their three-segmented beak to inject paralyzing poison into them.
The tomato hornworm is a typical pest that eats tomatoes. Some people have seen members of this family spread disease by sucking human blood. If you see them in your garden, you should be careful.
Mites
Another helpful insect that hunts down and kills pest mites that hurt tomato plants is called a predatory mite. They might eat the eggs and young bugs like thrips, spider mites, and whiteflies. Their long legs and quick movement are what make them stand out.
There could be small bugs, like thrips, that drain plant liquids and hurt plants, like tomato plants. These pests are called “mites.” On the other hand, predatory mites are tiny bugs that eat adult mites, mite larvae, and mite eggs.
They could eat tiny things like thrips, spider mites, and other bugs. They stand out because their legs are longer and they move faster. When there is no food, they eat pollen and nectar instead. Their life cycle is like that of bugs they are a problem. They can be bought in stores.
Ground beetles
Ground beetles give off smells that are poisonous to animals that eat them. It might be good for tomato plants because it eats bigger pests like hornworms and cutworms.
Ground beetles are another insect that can help tomato plants because they eat other bugs. They come in many different sizes, from 0.7mm up to 66mm. Their long legs and strong jaws could make them dangerous predators.
Because they are active at night, it might be hard to keep an eye on them. They move quickly and may defend themselves with substances that smell bad. They might eat cutworms and hornworms that eat tomatoes. They could also keep away birds and other animals that eat plants.
They like places that are cold and damp. Most of them can’t fly because their wings are joined together. They can get in through cracks and small holes, which is a problem. But because they can’t have babies inside, they only live for a short time.
Read more: 11 Beneficial Bugs That Help Tomato Plants Grow Safe from Pests- Unveiling the Tomato Calories: How Many Calories Are in a Tomato?
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- When to Feed Tomato Plants: A Comprehensive Guide
- 13 Tomato Gardening Hacks for a High-Yield Harvest
- Tomato and Chilli Chutney: A Fiery Delight for Your Taste Buds
Conclusion
We hope this post has helped you learn more about the many bugs that help tomato plants. If you let these bugs into your garden, you will have a lot of benefits for your tomatoes. They will protect your tomatoes from dangerous pests and worms.
