In Universe majority of insects are beneficial to society. In these slides some Beneficial insects are focused.

1. Beneficial Insects
By
Dr. Narendra A. Manwar
Dept. of Zoology
Mahatma Phule Arts and Science College, Patur,
Dist-Akola (M.S.), India

2. Beneficial Insects and Other Arthropods
Class Arachnida:
Order Acari (Mites)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Order Diptera (Flies)
Order Hemiptera (Bugs)
Order Hymenoptera (Wasps)
Order Neuroptera (Lacewings, Mantidflies)
Order Thysanoptera (Thrips)
Class Chilopoda (Centipedes)

3. Spiders
Order Araneae
Many families
Life History: Generalist
predators. Most make
webs and have poor
eyesight.
Prey: Other small
arthropods.
Left: Yellow garden spider
(Argiope aurantia) (Araneidae)

4. Spiders
Above and right:
Wolf Spiders
(Lycosidae) actively
hunt for prey rather
that catch prey in
webs.
The vast majority
of spiders are
harmless to
humans.

5. Spiders
Left: Jumping Spiders
(Salticidae), unlike most
spiders, have good eyesight.
Left: Funnel Weaver
(Agelenidae), Above:
Crab Spider (Thomisidae)

6. Various Habitats
• Trees
• Brush piles
• Fields
• Shrubs
• Porches & Decks
• Gardens
Praying Mantis

7. Mantids get water from
the insects they eat –
not a water source.
They prey on and even
stalk other insects,
such as bees, moths,
grasshoppers and
more. They don’t
usually eat the wings.
Both the adults and larvae (nymphs) are
considered beneficial insects.
Both are carnivores, feeding mainly on
arthropods
Damage–Neither the adults nor larvae (nymphs) do any
damage to crop plants.

8. Lady Beetles
Order Coleoptera
Family Coccinellidae
Life History: Many
species, both larvae
and adults are
predaceous.
Prey: Aphids, scale
insects, mealybugs,
whiteflies, spider
mites, insect eggs.
Pink Lady Beetle (Coleomegilla
maculata), a native lady beetle

9. Small, yellowish to brownish,
predaceous insects with prominent eyes.
They resemble other plant bugs that feed
on crops, but their head is longer and
more narrow than most.
Have long antennae, piercing – sucking
mouthparts, and thickened forelegs for
grasping prey.
Damsel Bug
Benefit:
Both adults and nymphs feed on a wide variety of
insects including aphids, leafhoppers, plant bugs, mites,
Cucumber Beetles and small caterpillars.
Common Name: Damsel bug
Scientific Name: Nabis sp.
Order: Hemiptera

10. Soldier Beetles
Order Coleoptera
Family Cantharidae
Life History: Adults
on flowering shrubs
and trees. Larvae
in soil.
Prey: Aphids, locust eggs, snails, slugs,
millipedes, earthworms, caterpillars, and
maggots.

11. Green Lacewings
Order Neuroptera
Family Chrysopidae
Life History: Oval,
white eggs laid
singly on stalks 8 mm long. Small gray larvae
spin cocoons and pupate on undersides of
leaves when they are 10 mm long. One to ten
generations per year.

12. Green Lacewings
Clockwise from top left: eggs, larva, cocoons, adult
Prey: The larvae eat a wide variety of prey small
insects aphids, mealybugs, thrips caterpillars,
leafhoppers insect eggs.
Adults feed on honeydew and pollen.

13. SYRPHID OR HOVER FLIES
Compared with the adults, the larvae are important predators,
feeding
primarily on aphids that attack citrus, subtropical fruit trees,
grains, corn, alfalfa, cotton, grapes, lettuce and other vegetables,
ornamentals, and many wild host plants of the aphids.
Also Larvae feed on a variety of small insects & insect eggs.
The hoverflies can be efficient predators in cereal crops such as
wheat, rice and corn (Lapchin et al., 1987).
The adults mainly feed on nectar and pollen.
Life Cycle:
Varies among species and depends on the environmental
conditions and availability of food.
Single, white eggs are laid onto a leaf near a food source.
The eggs hatch within 3 days and the larvae pass through
several instars (molts) in a period of 1 to 3 weeks.
They'll turn into tan-brown teard rop-shaped puparium either
on the host plant or the soil.
Unless the pupal stage remains for overwintering, adults
emerge in 1 to 2 weeks.

14. Tachinid Flies
Order Diptera
Family Tachinidae
Life History: Adults
lay eggs on plants or
hosts. Larvae develop
inside hosts and pupate in 4 to 14 days. One
or more generations per year.
Prey: Caterpillars, adult and larval beetles,
sawfly larvae, true bugs, grasshoppers, and
others.

15. Ichneumonid Wasps
Order Hymenoptera
Family Ichneumonidae
Life History: Larvae are
internal or external
parasitoids.
Prey species: Larvae and pupae of beetles,
wasps, and caterpillars; armyworms,
cabbage looper, fall webworm, oakworms,
tent caterpillars, tussock moths, European
corn borer.

16. Ichneumonid Wasps
Adult Ichneumonid
wasps: note the long
ovipositor of the female
Megarhyssa sp. (below)

17. Trichogramma Wasps
Order Hymenoptera
Family
Trichogrammatidae
Life History: Larvae
are internal parasitoids
of other insects.
Prey: Sawfly and moth eggs; cabbageworm,
tomato hornworm, corn earworm, codling
moth, cutworm, armyworm, cabbage looper,
European corn borer, tomato fruitworm.