- Beneficial against aphids on tomatoes
- Beneficial insects against whiteflies on tomatoes
- Beneficial against spider mites on tomatoes
- Beneficial against leaf miners on tomatoes
- All beneficial insects against the most common tomato pests in one table
- Supply sources for tomato beneficial insects
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Beneficial insects have been used successfully in organic tomato cultivation for a long time. We reveal how ladybugs and co can help to combat pests on tomatoes.
In nature, insects keep each other in check and thus ensure a natural balance. As a result, there is hardly any overabundance of plant-damaging insects that could endanger a stock of plants. In both private and commercial cultivation, so-called beneficial insects can be used in a targeted manner to combat certain pests in a natural way. This saves the use of pesticides and the often toxic substances do not get into the environment. The term "beneficial" only refers to the usefulness of animals for humans, not to the biological value of insects or animals in nature.
Beneficial against aphids on tomatoes
Aphids (Aphidoidea) suck sugar juice from the pathways of tomato leaves and young shoots, which often leads to deformations such as strangely kinked or twisted leaves. Ladybirds (Coccinellidae), predatory gall midges (Aphidoletes aphidimyza) and lacewings (Chrysoperla carnea) are effective against aphids. and hoverflies (Episyrphus b altiatus).
- Ladybirds and their orange and black striped elongated larvae eat dozens of aphids every day. The larvae create around 800 aphids by the time they develop after about four weeks, the adult beetles of the well-known seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) eat up to 150 aphids per day. For example, the two-spot ladybugs (Adalia bipunctata) can be purchased.
- Predatory gall midges lay their eggs near colonies of aphids during their lives, which usually last only a week. The orange larvae hatch after three to seven days and immediately begin to suck out the annoying plant suckers themselves. After about two weeks, the larvae pupate and fall off the plants. Now a new generation has to be released if the infestation is not over yetbe.
- Even with lacewings, it is only the larvae that feast on aphids. The sand-colored, elongated creatures have large mouthparts with which they consume about 500 aphids per larva in two to three weeks.
- Hoverflies disguise themselves as adults with wasp-like colors but have no stinger and feed only on flowers. Their larvae, however, are always hungry fellows and tirelessly eat aphids until they become vegetarians as adults. In the two weeks before pupation, one larva will eliminate up to 700 aphids.
In our article on combating aphids you will learn how to get rid of aphids quickly and safely with effective home remedies or organic products such as our Plantura organic pest-free neem.
Beneficial insects against whiteflies on tomatoes
Whiteflies (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) often appear en masse in the greenhouse. They like to lay their eggs on the underside of tomato leaves. Their larvae are also called whitefly, because they are whitish and very broad, shield-shaped, as the name suggests. If you shake the plant, the winged adult animals fly up. Ichneumon wasps (Encarsia formosa, Eretmocerus eremicus), predatory mites (Amblyseius swirskii) and predatory bugs ( Macrolophus pygmaeus) are whitefly antagonists. The parasitic wasps lay their eggs on the whitefly, and their larvae feed on the lice, thereby killing them. In commercial horticulture, too, the parasitic wasp has become indispensable as a very effective beneficial insect against whiteflies. Predatory mites are so-called protective predators, which do not allow any mass reproduction of pests. Although they do not eat as many lice as parasitic wasp larvae, they reproduce themselves on the plants and stay with enough prey until they can find nothing more to eat. All the beneficial insects mentioned can be ordered and used on the affected plants immediately after delivery.
Beneficial against spider mites on tomatoes
The dreaded spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) occur on fruit trees and ornamental plants, but also on many types of vegetables. They are often orange-red in color and pierce plant cells, which are sucked out and then turn whitish. In this way, patchy leaf surfaces and later webs between leaves that are reminiscent of cobwebs are formed. The predatory gall midge (Feltiella acarisuga) helpsagainst spider mites, but the most effective antagonist is the predatory mite (Phytoseiulus persimilis). Adult predatory mites eat about five spider mites a day and can keep them in check over the long term. Even the smallest ladybird species Stethorus, or ball beetle, with a length of only about 1.2 millimeters successfully fights spider mites, also on fruit trees. The little beetles are all black with yellow legs.
Beneficial against leaf miners on tomatoes
Infestation with leaf miners (Agromyzidae) is rather rare in the home garden. The larvae of these insects eat their way through the leaf between the top and bottom of the leaf, leaving visible, light-colored to white, curved and diffuse-looking feeding tunnels. Parasitic wasps of the species Dacnusa sibirica and Diglyphus isaea also help against this pest. These parasitic wasps also lay eggs in the larvae and let their own offspring do the rest.
All beneficial insects against the most common tomato pests in one table
The following table summarizes all tomato pests, their symptoms and opponents. Because the German names of the beneficial insects are usually not precise enough, you will find the Latin names. You can better use these when searching for beneficials.
| Pest | Symptom | Beneficial |
|---|---|---|
| Aphid | Lice clearly visible; sticky leaves; twisted leaves; deformed stems | Ladybird: Adalia bipunctata, Gall midge: Aphidoletes aphidimyza, Lacewing:Chrysoperla carnea, Hoverfly: Episyrphus b altiatus |
| White Fly | Rising white flies; deformed leaves | parasitic wasps: Encarsia formosa, Eretmocerus eremicus, predatory mite: Amblyseius swirskii, Assassin bug: Macrolophus pygmaeus |
| spider mite | Mottled white-green leaves; cobwebs; Red mites | Gall midge: Feltiella acarisuga, Predatory mite: Phytoseiulus persimilis |
| Minerfly | White veins inside the leaf | parasitic wasps: Dacnusa sibirica, Diglyphus isaea |
All these beneficial insects can be purchased commercially as eggs or larvae, recommended sources can be found below in the text. The eggs are inSupplied in various packaging and placed in the infested plant stand immediately upon arrival according to the manufacturer's instructions. After a few days, the larvae hatch and get to work. When they have developed sufficiently, they pupate and become adults. Not all beneficial insects can be used everywhere without any problems. An armada of ladybugs can become quite a nuisance indoors and parasitic wasps outdoors tend to simply fly away from the treated plant. So here it is important to heed the advice of the providers of live beneficial insects.
Not only animal helpers can protect the tomato from pests. If you take the term "beneficial" a little further and also include plants, marigold (Tagetes sp.) and marigold ( Calendula officinalis) not absent. If you plant these beautiful ornamental plants together with tomatoes, they protect the roots of the tomato from nematodes. Find out which plants are the best neighbors for tomatoes in our article on intercropping tomatoes.
Tip: Bumblebees (Bombus sp.) also belong to the beneficial insects, because they become active at temperatures where no bee dares to get out yet. Bumblebees ensure pollination of the tomatoes both in the home garden and in the greenhouse. In commercial horticulture, bumblebees have become indispensable as a pollination aid.
Supply sources for tomato beneficial insects
Some beneficial insects can even be found in well-stocked garden centers such as Dehner garden centers. However, the selection there is often very limited. A larger company in Germany is Sautter & Stepper GmbH from Ammerbuch, which offers a wide range of beneficial insects online at nuetzlinge.de. But nurseries such as Native Plants also have the little animals available via their online shop. You have to reckon with about 10 to 15 euros per pack. However, the price pays off quickly, since sprays are similarly expensive and you certainly don't like using them in your own garden. After they have developed into adult animals, many beneficial insects fly to flowers and feed on nectar. With a blooming wildflower meadow, you support the reproduction of beneficial insects in your own garden. In our Plantura shop you will find seeds for bee pastures and other flowering mixtures, for example our Plantura beneficial insect magnet.
We present other useful animals against all kinds of pests in the article "Beneficial insects in the garden: 10animal helpers you should know about".