Natural Enemies: Identification
Natural Enemies Listed by Pest
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, 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.
List by common name | List by order and family name | List by scientific name
| Pest name |
Natural enemy |
Aphids
|
Aphidius species |
| Bigeyed bugs |
| Brown lacewings |
| Convergent lady
beetle |
| Damsel bugs |
| Green lacewings |
| Lysiphlebus testaceipes,
aphid parasites |
| Minute pirate bugs |
| Multicolored Asian lady beetle |
| Predaceous midge (aphid midge) |
| Sevenspotted lady beetle |
| Spiders |
| Syrphid flies |
| Trioxys pallidus, walnut aphid parasite |
| Beetles |
Anaphes species |
| Damsel bugs |
| Elm leaf beetle parasite |
| Soldier beetles, leather-winged beetles |
| Spiders |
| Tachinid flies |
| Brown garden snail |
Decollate snail |
| |
Predaceous ground beetle |
| Bugs (such as lygus, plant, and stink
bugs) |
Anaphes species |
| Assassin bugs |
| Bigeyed bugs |
| Brown lacewings |
| Damsel bugs |
| Green lacewings |
| Spiders |
Caterpillars
 |
Assassin bugs |
| Bigeyed bugs |
| Bracon cushmani,
grape leaffolder parasite |
| Brown lacewings |
| Cotesia medicaginis,
alfalfa butterfly parasite |
| Damsel bugs |
| Green lacewings |
| Hyposoter exiguae,
caterpillar parasite |
| Minute pirate bugs |
| Spiders |
| Tachinid flies |
| Trichogramma spp.,
egg parasite |
| Insect eggs |
Bigeyed bugs |
| Dustywings |
| Soldier beetles, leather-winged beetles |
| Trichogramma spp.,
egg parasite |
Leafhoppers
 |
Assassin bugs |
| Bigeyed bugs |
| Damsel bugs |
| Spiders |
Mealybugs
 |
Mealybug destroyer |
| Brown lacewings |
| Citrus mealybug parasite |
| Dustywings |
| Green lacewings |
| Minute pirate bugs |
Mites
 |
Bigeyed bugs |
| Brown lacewings |
| Damsel bugs |
| Dustywings |
| Green lacewings |
| Minute pirate bugs |
| Phytoseiulus persimilis |
| Sixspotted thrips |
| Spider mite destroyer lady beetle |
| Western predatory
mite |
Psyllids
 |
Brown lacewings |
| Dustywings |
| Green lacewings |
| Minute pirate bugs |
| Multicolored Asian lady beetle |
| Spiders |
Scales
 |
Aphytis spp., armored
scale parasites |
| Brown lacewings |
| Cottony cushion scale parasite |
| Green lacewings |
| Minute pirate bugs |
| Multicolored Asian lady beetle |
| Twicestabbed
lady beetle |
| Vedalia beetle, cottony cushion scale predator |
| Thrips |
Damsel bugs |
| Minute pirate bugs |
| Spiders |
Whiteflies
 |
Bigeyed bugs |
| Brown lacewings |
| Convergent lady
beetle |
| Dustywings |
| Encarsia formosa,
whitefly parasite |
| Green lacewings |
| Multicolored Asian lady beetle |
| Spiders |
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