Beneficial Tomatoes: Combat Pests Naturally

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 use 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. Come against aphids ladybug (Coccinellidae), predatory gall midges (Aphidoles aphidimyza) as lacewings (Chrysoperla carnea) and hoverflies (Episyrphus baltiatus) for use.

• Ladybugs and their orange and black striped elongated larvae eat dozens of aphids every day. By the time they develop after about four weeks, the larvae create about 800 aphids, the adult beetles of the well-known seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) eat up to 150 aphids per day. For example, the two-point ladybugs (Adalia bipunctata).
• 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 yet.
• Even with lacewings, it is only the larvae that feast on aphids. The sand-colored, elongated animals 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 lack a 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 gets rid of up to 700 aphids.

In our article on Aphid Control Find out how you can get rid of aphids quickly and safely with effective home remedies or biological remedies like ours Plantura organic pest-free neem Get rid of.

Beneficial against whiteflies on tomatoes

white flies (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. parasitic wasps (Encarsia formosa, Eretmocerus eremicus), predatory mites (Amblyseius swirskii) and assassin bugs (Macrolophus pygmaeus) are antagonists of the whitefly. 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 insects against spider mites in 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) helps against 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. Also the smallest ladybug genus Stethorus, or ball beetle, with a length of only about 1.2 millimeters successfully fights spider mites, also on fruit trees. The small beetles are entirely black with yellow legs.

Beneficial insects against leaf miners on tomatoes

In the home garden is an infestation with miner flies (Agromyzidae) rather rare. 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. Ichneumon wasps of the species also help against this pest Dacnusa sibirica and Diglyphus isaea. 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

In the table below you can see all tomato pests, their symptoms and opponents summarized. 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 beneficial insects.

pest	symptom	beneficial
aphid	lice clearly visible; sticky leaves; twisted leaves; deformed stems	ladybug: Adalia bipunctata, gall midge: Aphidoles aphidimyza, lacewing: Chrysoperla carnea, hoverfly: Episyrphus baltiatus
white bow tie	Ascending Whiteflies; 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
miner fly	White veins inside the leaf	parasitic wasps: Dacnusa sibirica, Diglyphus isaea

All of these beneficial insects can be purchased commercially as eggs or larvae, see below for recommended sources. The eggs are delivered in different packages and placed in the infested canopy as soon as they arrive, 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. Here it is important to follow the instructions of the suppliers of living beneficial organisms.

Not only animal helpers can protect the tomato from pests. If you take the term "beneficial" a little further and also include plants, the marigold (tagetes sp.) and marigold (Calendula officinalis) not missing. If you plant these beautiful ornamental plants together with tomatoes, they protect the roots of the tomato from nematodes. In our article on Mixed culture of tomatoes learn which plants are the best neighbors for tomatoes.

tip: Even bumblebees (bomb sp.) belong to the beneficial insects, because they are already active at temperatures where no bees dare to venture out. 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.

Sources of supply 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 find seeds for bee pastures and other flowering mixtures, such as our Plantura Beneficial magnet.

We present other useful animals against all kinds of pests in the article "Beneficial creatures in the garden: 10 animal helpers that you should know“.