The podcast included with this newsletter features an interview with Rachael Long, University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor Emeritus, and one of the nation’s best sources of information on the benefits of having barn owls prowling over your property to control rodents. Rachael mentions the UC Publication, “Songbird, Bat and Owl Boxes” which is a paid publication. Here’s a link for more information on barn owl boxes; and, another link with specific barn owl box building instructions. This chat originally aired in Episode 40 of the Garden Basics podcast in August of 2020.

Before we continue with our beneficial insect hit parade, here’s what has happened this week on the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast:

Tuesday, April 30: Ep. 330 - Q&A Controlling Bermudagrass; What about using black plastic in the garden?

Gail from California wants to start a vegetable and flower garden in her backyard, which is currently covered in Bermuda grass. Fred and Debbie suggest waiting a year and using soil solarization to kill off the Bermuda grass. They also recommend starting small with container gardening. They discuss the challenges of dealing with Bermuda grass and the benefits of solarization. They also touch on the use of black plastic mulch in the garden.

Friday, May 3: Ep. 331 Cucumber Starting and Training Tips

In this episode, Fred and Debbie Flower discuss cucumber planting advice, including starting cucumbers from seed or nursery transplants, training cucumber growth, and choosing the right cucumber plants. They also cover topics such as soil temperature, soil type, watering, trellising, pollination, and harvesting cucumbers. They provide tips for preventing cucumber diseases and pests, as well as suggestions for different cucumber varieties to try.

Meet the Garden Beneficials, Part 2

Last week, we discussed three of the best beneficial insects to have in your garden: lacewings, ladybugs, and hoverflies. Today, we cover several more garden good guys worth putting to work in your yard to subdue the pests, and the “Welcome Mat” plants they need for extra food and shelter.

Soldier Beetles (leather-winged beetles)

Like many of the beneficials, it is the larval stage of soldier beetles that do most of the munching on the bad bugs. Whereas the adult soldier beetles feed mostly on the pollen and nectar of flowers - as well as the occasional aphid, insect eggs and larvae - young soldier beetles can be found under the bark of the plant or in soil or litter. There, they feed primarily on the eggs and larvae of beetles, butterflies, moths and other insects.

Plants That Attract Soldier Beetles

* Celosia Cockscomb

* Coreopsis

* Daucus carota Queen Anne’s Lace

* Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower

* Pycnanthemum Mountain Mint

* Rosa Roses

* Solidago Goldenrod

Parasitic Mini-Wasps

Mini-wasps are parasites of a variety of insects. They do not sting! The stingers have been adapted to allow the females to lay their eggs in the bodies of insect pests. The eggs then hatch, and the young feed on the pests from the inside, killing them. After they have killed the pests, they leave hollow “mummies.” Among the parasitic mini-wasps:

Braconid Wasps

Braconid wasps feed on moth, beetle and fly larvae, moth eggs, various insect pupae and adults. If you see lots of white capsules on the backs of a caterpillar, these are the braconid cocoons. Leave the dying  caterpillar alone!

Ichneumonid wasps control moth, butterfly, beetle and fly larvae and pupae. 

Trichogramma wasps lay their own eggs in moth eggs (hungry caterpillars-to-be), killing them and turning them black.

Plants that attract parasitic mini-wasps:•Achillea filipendulina    Fern-leaf yarrow•Achillea millefolium    Common yarrow•Allium tanguticum    Lavender globe lily•Anethum graveolens    Dill•Anthemis tinctoria    Golden marguerite•Astrantia major    Masterwort•Callirhoe involucrata    Purple poppy mallow•Carum carvi    Caraway•Coriandrum sativum    Coriander•Cosmos bipinnatus    Cosmos white sensation•Daucus carota    Queen Anne’s lace•Foeniculum vulgare   Fennel•Limonium latifolium    Statice•Linaria vulgaris    Butter and eggs•Lobelia erinus    Edging lobelia•Lobularia maritima    Sweet alyssum - white•Melissa officinalis    Lemon balm•Mentha pulegium    Pennyroyal•Petroselinum crispum    Parsley•Potentilla recta ‘warrenii’   Sulfur cinquefoil•Potentilla villosa    Alpine cinquefoil•Sedum kamtschaticum    Orange stonecrop•Sweet alyssum - white•Tagetes tenuifolia  Marigold ‘lemon gem’•Tanacetum vulgare    Tansy•Thymus serpylum coccineus   Crimson thyme•Zinnia elegans    Zinnia - 'liliput'

TACHINID FLIES

Parasites of caterpillars (corn earworm, imported cabbage worm, cabbage loopers, cutworms, armyworms), stink bugs, squash bug nymphs, beetle and fly larvae, some true bugs, and beetles. Adults are 1/3 to 1/2 inch long. White eggs are deposited on foliage or on the body of the host. Larvae are internal parasites, feeding within the body of the host, sucking its body fluids to the point that the pest dies. Plants that attract tachinid flies:•Anthemis tinctoria    Golden marguerite•Eriogonum fasciculatum    California Buckwheat•Melissa officinalis    Lemon balm•Mentha pulegium    Pennyroyal•Petroselinum crispum   Parsley•Phacelia tanacetifolia    Phacelia•Tanacetum vulgare    Tansy•Thymus serpyllum coccineus    Crimson thyme

MINUTE PIRATE BUGS (Orius spp.)

True to their name, minute pirate bugs are tiny (1/20 inch long) bugs that feed on almost any small insect or mite, including thrips, aphids, mites, scales, whiteflies and soft-bodied arthropods, but are particularly attracted to thrips in spring. 

DAMSEL BUGS (Nabis spp.)

Damsel bugs feed on aphids, leafhoppers, plant bugs, and small caterpillars. They are usually dull brown and resemble other plant bugs that are pests. Their heads are usually longer and narrower then most plant feeding species (the better to eat with!).

BIG EYED BUGS (Geocoris spp.)

Big eyed bugs are small (1/4 inch long), grayish-beige, oval shaped) bugs with large eyes that feed on many small insects (e.g., leaf hoppers, spider mites), insect eggs, and mites, as both nymphs and adults. Eggs are football shaped, whitish-gray with red spots. Plants that attract minute pirate bugs, damsel bugs and big eyed bugs:•Carum carvi    Caraway•Cosmos bipinnatus    Cosmos “white sensation”•Foeniculum vulgare    Fennel•Medicago sativa    Alfalfa•Mentha spicata    Spearmint•Solidago virgaurea    Peter Pan goldenrod•Tagetes tenuifolia   Marigold “lemon gem”

Thank you also for listening to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Please share it with your gardening friends.

Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County, California. And he likes to ride his bike(s).

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