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Statewide IPM Program, University of California

Natural enemies gallery

Listed by pest

Cover of Natural Enemies Handbook

Natural enemies are organisms that kill, decrease the reproductive potential of, or otherwise reduce the numbers of another organism. Natural enemies that limit pests are key components of integrated pest management programs. Important natural enemies of insect and mite pests include predators, parasitoids (parasites), and pathogens.

The UC IPM Natural Enemies Gallery includes natural enemy species commonly found on California farms and in landscapes. Additional species will be added over time.

For more information about natural enemies, purchase the Natural Enemies Handbook also available as an ePub.

Pest name Natural enemy
Adelgids Aphid flies
Multicolored Asian lady beetle (ladybug)
Twospotted lady beetle (ladybug)

Aphids

Aphid
Anystis spp. whirligig mites, predatory mites
Aphid flies
Aphid midge
Aphidius spp., parasitic wasps
Ashy gray lady beetle (ladybug)
Axion plagiatum lady beetle (ladybug)
Bigeyed bugs
Brown lacewings
Convergent lady beetle (ladybug)
Damsel bugs
Diaeretiella rapae, parasitic wasp
Dustywings
Green lacewings
Lysiphlebus testaceipes, parasitic wasp
Mealybug destroyer
Minute pirate bugs
Multicolored Asian lady beetle (ladybug)
Pink spotted lady beetle (ladybug)
Polished lady beetle (ladybug)
Sevenspotted lady beetle (ladybug)
Soldier beetles
Spotless lady beetle (ladybug)
Syrphid flies
Trioxys pallidus, parasitic wasp
Twicestabbed lady beetle (ladybug)
Twospotted lady beetle (ladybug)
Western blood-red lady beetle (ladybug)

Beetles

Beetles
Assassin bugs
Calosota elongata, goldspotted oak borer parasitic wasp
Damsel bugs
Erynniopsis antennata, elm leaf beetle parasitic fly
Oomyzus (=Tetrastichus) gallerucae, parasitic wasp
Predaceous ground beetles
Rough stink bugs
Sevenspotted lady beetle (ladybug)
Spiders
Spined soldier bug
Tachinid flies
Twospotted stink bug

Brown garden snail

Brown Garden Snail
Decollate snail
Predaceous ground beetles

Bugs (such as lygus, plant, and stink bugs)

Bugs
Assassin bugs
Bigeyed bugs
Brown lacewings
Damsel bugs
Green lacewings
Minute pirate bugs
Spiders
Trichopoda pennipes, parasitic fly
Trissolcus species, stink bug parasitic wasps

Caterpillars

Caterpillars
Assassin bugs
Bigeyed bugs
Brown lacewings
Copidosoma spp., parasitic wasps
Cotesia (=Apanteles) medicaginis, alfalfa caterpillar parasitic wasp
Damsel bugs
Goniozus spp., parasitic wasps
Green lacewings
Habrobracon (=Bracon) cushmani, parasitic wasp
Hyposoter exiguae, parasitic wasp
Minute pirate bugs
Predaceous ground beetles
Rough stink bugs
Spiders
Spined soldier bug
Tachinid flies
Twospotted stink bug
Cockroaches Spiders
Crickets Tachinid flies
Earwigs Tachinid flies
Flies Tachinid flies
Grasshoppers Tachinid flies

Insect eggs

Insect Eggs
Anaphes spp., parasitic wasps
Bigeyed bugs
Brown lacewings
Dustywings
Minute pirate bugs
Pink spotted lady beetle (ladybug)
Soldier beetles
Trichogramma spp., parasitic wasps

Leafhoppers
Leafhopper

Anagrus spp., parasitic wasps
Anystis spp. whirligig mites, predatory mites
Brown lacewings
Cosmocomoidea (=Gonatocerus) spp., parasitic wasps
Green lacewings
Spiders
Leafminers Diglyphus spp., parasitic wasps

Mealybugs

Mealybugs
Acerophagus spp., parasitic wasps
Anagyrus spp., parasitic wasps
Aphid flies
Brown lacewings
Dustywings
Green lacewings
Leptomastix dactylopii, parasitic wasp
Mealybug destroyer
Sevenspotted lady beetle (ladybug)
Syrphid flies
Twicestabbed lady beetle (ladybug)
Vedalia beetle
Millipedes Predaceous ground beetles

Mites

mites
Aeolothrips predatory thrips
Anystis spp., whirligig mites, predatory mites
Bigeyed bugs
Brown lacewings
Damsel bugs
Dustywings
Euseius predatory mites
Franklinothrips predatory thrips
Minute pirate bugs
Mite midges
Neoseiulus predatory mites
Phytoseiulus predatory mites
Pink spotted lady beetle (ladybug)
Sixspotted thrips
Spider mite destroyer lady beetle (ladybug)
Spider mite rove beetle
Western predatory mite
Powdery mildew Fungus-feeding Psyllobora lady beetles (ladybugs)

Psyllids

Psyllids
Anystis spp. whirligig mites, predatory mites
Ashy gray lady beetle (ladybug)
Axion plagiatum lady beetle (ladybug)
Brown lacewings
Dustywings
Green lacewings
Minute pirate bugs
Multicolored Asian lady beetle (ladybug)
Psyllaephagus bliteus, parasitic wasp
Psyllaephagus pilosus, parasitic wasp
Sevenspotted lady beetle (ladybug)
Spiders
Tamarixia radiata, parasitic wasp
Twospotted lady beetle (ladybug)
Sawflies Assassin bugs
Rough stink bugs
Spined soldier bug
Twospotted stink bug

Scales

Scales
Aphid flies
Aphytis aonidiae, parasitic wasps
Aphytis lepidosaphes, parasitic wasps
Aphytis melinus, parasitic wasp
Axion plagiatum lady beetle (ladybug)
Brown lacewings
Chilocorus bipustulatus lady beetle (ladybug)
Chilocorus kuwanae lady beetle (ladybug)
Coccophagus lycimnia =C. lecanii, parasitic wasp
Comperiella bifasciata, parasitic wasp
Cryptochaetum iceryae, cottony cushion scale parasitic fly
Dustywings
Encarsia perniciosi, parasitic wasp
Euseius predatory mites
Green lacewings
Mealybug destroyer
Metaphycus spp., parasitic wasps
Multicolored Asian lady beetle (ladybug)
Rhyzobius spp. lady beetles (ladybugs)
Steelblue lady beetle (ladybug)
Twicestabbed lady beetle (ladybug)
Vedalia beetle

Thrips

Thrips
Aeolothrips predatory thrips
Anystis spp. whirligig mites, predatory mites
Brown lacewings
Ceranisus menes, parasitic wasp
Damsel bugs
Euseius predatory mites
Franklinothrips spp. predatory thrips
Green lacewings
Minute pirate bugs
Neoseiulus spp. predatory mites
Thripoctenus javae =Thripobius semiluteus, parasitic wasp
Weeds Cochineal scales of prickly pear cacti
Klamathweed beetle
Puncturevine weevils
Tamarisk beetles

Whiteflies

Whiteflies
Amitus spiniferus, woolly whitefly parasitic wasp
Ashy gray lady beetle (ladybug)
Bigeyed bugs
Brown lacewings
Cales noacki, parasitic wasp
Clitostethus arcuatus lady beetle (ladybug)
Delphastus spp. lady beetles (ladybugs)
Dustywings
Encarsia (=Encarsiella) noyesi, parasitic wasp
Encarsia formosa, parasitic wasp
Encarsia inaron =E. partenopea, parasitic wasp
Encarsia pergandiella, parasitic wasp
Entedononecremnus krauteri, parasitic wasp
Euseius predatory mites
Franklinothrips predatory thrips
Idioporus affinis, parasitic wasp
Minute pirate bugs
Sevenspotted lady beetle (ladybug)
Spiders

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