Camel cricket (top left)-NCSU, Field cricket (top right)-University of California, House cricket (bottom)-University of Florida

Description
House crickets live primarily in your house but they are born outside and make their way in when they are small. House crickets are small (17mm) and brown with very large hind legs. Field crickets are relatively larger (up to 30mm) and are dark brown or black. Camel crickets are smaller (20mm), have a small humped back and are light to dark brown. Only males sing songs to attract females. Each species attracts only their own.

Lifecycle-MSU, student page

Habitat and Lifecycle
They are thought to be a native to Europe and are found in the Eastern United States and most of Canada. Because crickets are bred for pet food & fish bait, they can escape and live almost anywhere. Eggs are laid (200-300 at a time) in damp areas where there is peat moss, compost, litter and garbage. Eggs hatch in 2-3 months. Nymphs emerge and begin feeding right away. They can overwinter as adults, but mostly it is in the egg stage in even the coldest climates. Some species lay eggs in spring that hatch in May or June. They grow rapidly in the summertime when the daily temperatures are high.

Diet and Damage
They occasionally eat small seedlings but generally are not a problem in your garden unless their numbers are large. They can be beneficial as they do eat other bugs. Their diet is mostly dead bugs, some insect eggs, organic material, food, material, wallpaper, clothes and a host of other things in your home. Rarely damage is severe and sometimes control measures need to be implemented. Crickets mostly feed at night and hide in cracks and crevices in the day.

Control
1) Sticky Traps – you can buy these or make your own with bright yellow card coated with a sticky substance like tanglefoot.
Remove debris and other wastes from the perimeter of your house. seal all cracks and areas around your foundation to prevent them from getting inside.
3) Predators – Birds, large spiders, toads, frogs and bats are predators. Put up a bat house on your garage or barn to attract them. (if you have a cat like mine, you don’t need anything else lol)
4) Stomp Method – The stomp method works best.
2) Garden Cleanup – Sticky traps can be made with pieces of wood and placed near foundations of your home or garage
5) Homemade Traps – Place a pan of apple juice or beer on the floor in the evening and crickets will find it and drown
Don’t forget……you can always eat them

Springtails-NC State University, Springtail-Carlo Denegri Foundation

Description 
They may be mistaken sometimes for fleas because they can jump just like a flea and the hump on the back. When disturbed they jump all over. However they will not bite you and fleas will. These guys are actually cool and I consider them beneficial. Did you know that they clean themselves after feeding just like a raccoon.

Springtail larvae- U of Kentucky, Springtails size-

Habitat and Lifecycle
They are found wherever there is an abundance of moisture. Storm drains, household plants, foundations, wet leafy mold, compost, rich moist soil, rotting wood or bark, fungi, mold, mushrooms, algae and other moist organic materials. Some species are found in the home around damp basements and crawl spaces. They may even be found around a well. Their lifecycle is egg, larvae and adult and this occurs year long depending on where they are.

Diet and Damage
They usually are not a big threat but they have been known to eat young tender seedlings, seeds and bulbs. My feeling here is leave them alone because they break down organic materials so I consider them beneficial. They are a big part in the decomposition of your compost pile. This pest can be found in greenhouses or houseplants but cooler damper climates can produces hoards. Rarely will you have to take drastic measures but it is good to know what these guys are. They also eat bad nematodes, mite eggs, small insect larvae and droppings from other insects. Make your own decision if you encounter them.

Control
1) En masse they can be swept into a dustpan and dropped in soapy water. (I’d recommend dropping them in your compost pile)
2) Problems in homes or greenhouses can usually be controlled by letting the soil dry out as they cannot live without moisture but most of your plants can.
3) Sticky traps placed around the affected plants may help to trap them while in adult stage.
4) You could use safers soap spray but I don’t recommend this unless you feel it is necessary.

Leaf cutting bee-photo unknown

Description
Leaf-cutting bees differ from the honeybee because they are not agressive, are not social and do not normally sting.

Larvae-photo IPS

Habitat and Lifecycle
Adult leaf-cutters live 2-3 months in hot weather and can lay 30-40 eggs. Females do all the work themselves. This includes finding and preparing the nests, and collecting the food necessary for the young larvae to overwinter in a cocoon (looks like a small cigar) that she builds out of leaves nectar and pollen. Leaf cutting bees build their nests in soft rotting wood and small canes that are easy to bore into.

Damage-photo IPS, International Pollination System

Diet and Damage
They don’t eat the leaves of plants but do cut holes in them and sometimes cut them off to use in their egg cases. Usually the worst that can happen is that your plants, especially your roses will look unsightly. In rare instances some plants, if unhealthy, will die because of the damage. Some years leaf cutting bees can kill many mature plants. Roses and lilacs are the most likely candidates for leaf cutters but sometimes other ornamentals, especially in rural areas, can be chosen. I read an article about people who raise them so their alfalfa crops would have plenty of pollination. They even built shelters for them with pre-drilled holes. These pictures of the larvae, bee damage and shelter came from that website (located in California).

Shelter for Bees built in California-photo IPS

Control
Controlling leaf cutting bees is not usually necessary as any type of bee is great for pollination in your garden but if your problem is severe you might consider using cheesecloth or another protective covering for the plants that are affected. Parasitic wasps and some ground beetles are natural predators. Keeping areas clean of rotting or soft wood may help keep leaf cutting bees away from your tender plants.

Dragonfly (left)-Mark Simmons, Damselfly (right)-M. Reeder

Description
Their wingspan is almost as long as their bodies. They range in colour and sizes. There are thousands of species found worldwide. Nymphs are usually brown and measure half the size of the adult. These are beneficial insects welcome in and around every garden.

Damselfly lifecycle (left)-Australia Museum, Damselflies mating (right)- Dennis R. Paulson

Habitat and Lifecycle
Adults mate in late spring or early summer & then lay their eggs in pools of water. Males will protect the female while she lays her eggs. Nymphs hatch after about one week and feed to maturity over the winter. The nymphs emerge in spring and climb up plants or trees and shed thier skin eventually becoming an adult. Some nymphs remain in the water for up to 3 years. Adults live at the edges of ponds, slow moving rivers and lakeshores.

Dragonfly Nymph hatching-Dennis R. Paulson

Diet
They eat mosquito larvae (YAY!), aquatic larvae, small fish & most insects. They can also fall prey to fish, birds, toads, frogs and snakes.
Tips for attracting them
Make your own pond
Dragonflies will find a pond if you make on near your garden. They are relatively easy to make and inexpensive. There are kits available in all nurserys and garden shops. Fill the pond with lake or stream water and line with rocks, gravel and sand. Transplant native underwater plants into the pond. Feed them mosquito larvae and other insect you can find in the lakes, rivers & streams. Plant wildflowers & small trees near the pond to keep them interested.

Millipede(left)-Florida Agriculture, A group of millipedes (right)-J. Kalisch, UNL

Centipede (left)-University of Nebraska, Centipedes (right)-Techcom

Description
They are about 1.5cm long and are usually found coiled up like a spring when disturbed. Centipedes are a little longer. There are over 6,000 species found worldwide.

Desert Milipede in Arizona(left)-Young Entomologists Society, Red millipede (right)-William W. Bushing

Habitat and Lifecycle
Both are found everywhere throughout North America and many other countries. They tend to favour damp areas and in moist crevices. If millipedes are found in your house don’t worry too much as they do NO damage and they will die as they have nowhere to reproduce. If centipedes are found in you house, they can live up to 5 years. Both overwinter in the soil and emerge in the spring and their eggs are a little bit sticky and are laid in small clusters in the soil.

Millipede (left)-University of Delaware , Milliped group (right)-UC Riverside

Diet and Damage
Most species of millipedes feed on organic materials and other rotting garden debris. Millipedes are not often a pest but they have been know to eat beans, cabbage, carrots, corn, potatoes, strawberries and turnips. They sever seedlings, eat roots and burrow into fruits. There are some millipedes that are predators of other soil insects. If they are not attacking your plants I would just leave them as they work wonders in your compost breaking down organic material. I would suggest moving them into your compost pile rather than kill them. I have found no indications that centipedes cause plant damage. Millipedes have been known to eat small bugs, cockroaches, flies and a few other bugs in your house. My advice…..don’t kill these guys.

How To Control Centipedes & Millipedes

1. Plant Guardian^TM Houseplant Insecticidal Soap
   Drench the soil or area where they are with insecticidal soap. My homemade recipe that is also effective: 1 or 2 tablespoons of any dish soap to one quart of water. Spray directly on the bugs.
2. Clean up Garden Debris
   Keep your garden free of debris since this is an excellent breeding environment for them. Anywhere that is constantly moist should be controlled.
3. Hand Pick
   This isn’t an easy task since they do most of their damage at night. dig lightly around the soil….you’ll see them if they are present.
4. *Here’s a true cute story about getting rid of millipedes:
   One day when I was in the garden at 5 am… my elderly neighbour came running out of her house in her best curlers and house dress screaming! I thought maybe her husband was after her or some other major emergency. NO….it was an infestation of millipedes in her kitchen! Nothing bad there I told her. I went over to her house and swept them into the dust pan and dropped them in hot soapy water. I inspected around the foundation of her home outside and found that she had left all her weeds in a pile right beside her rain barrel. As soon as we cleaned up this mess, she never had another scare like that again LOL. She was truly thankful and baked me a lovely apple pie

Spined soldier bug-Perdue University

Description 
They are brown, red, orange and sometimes even yellow, elongated and resemble many undesired bugs. size is approx 10-13 mm. There are more than 300 species worldwide.

Soldier bug-USDA (left), Soldier bug- J. Ogrodnick (right)

Habitat
They are found worldwide and are very populous in the US and Canada. You can find them on many flowering plants drinking on the nectar or sucking water from leaves. This does not harm the plants. Tomatoes, cole plants, corn, beans, and many ornamentals just to name a few.

Lifecycle
The adults lay over a hundred eggs in groups of approx 25 on leaves and on dead prey. Nymphs will hang around the eggs for a while and then move on to feed. Adults can live up to 3 months and there are 2-3 generations per year. They will gorge themselves with so many insects. To attract theses guys, plant plenty of flowers in and around your garden. Baby Blue Eyes is my favourite for this purpose.

Diet
They eat caterpillars (all kinds), sawfilies, aphids, potato beetles, Japanese beetles (most beetles in fact) and most immature insects! Is there a reason not to have these guys in your garden.

Tip
One thing you can do if you find some of these guys is help them reproduce. Get a plastic container (Tupperware, whatever you have hand), make a screen for the top, and put in a bunch of these guys on leaves and feed them regularly. (At least 12 bugs in a 16oz container should do) They need water so add a few cotton ball moistened every day. Remove any debris such as skin casing, these guys do shed skin. For food, It is easy to pick off leaves with bugs on them and put them in the container with the soldier bugs. If you run out of food (unlikely LOL) you can actually buy caterpillars and other live bait in fishing shops. The key to success here is LOTS of food! Soldier bugs will kill each other if they run out of food. When the eggs hatch and nymphs appear all you do is release them into your garden! Works great! Have at least 6 or 8 containers going with at least one female. I know this works because I did it myself many moons ago *S*

Cave Salamander-NCSA, Long Tail Salamander-Ken Felsom

Description
They range in size and length (at least 10-20cm) since there are hundreds of species and range thoughout the world except in South America, south Africa, Austrailia and the Antarctic. There is one species in Japan that grows up to 180cm! They have a wide range of colours and markings depending on where they are found. Salamanders are unique in that they will grow back a body part if they lose it. Most salamanders are moist and slimy and they are nocturnal. Their tail is usually longer than their body. Salamanders hibernate in the winter like most amphibians.

Mountain Salamander-NSCA, Northern Salamander-Ken Felsom

Lifecycle & Habitat
They live where it is moist & dark, caves, streams, ponds, under rocks, moss and rotting logs. Mostly they are found in forests and caves but they can be quite a gardeners friend given conditions that are friendly to them. Females lay their eggs in the early spring in the habitat that they prefer….streams, ponds and any moist dark place.

Red Back Salamander-NCSA, Slimy Salamander-Ken Felsom

Diet
They eat slugs, snails, bugs and most insects. Some of the bugs and insects include: millipedes, aphids, small moths, mealworms, crickets, small cockroaches, grasshoppers, locusts, flies, fruitflies, pillbugs, waxworms, mosquitoes, blackflies & white flies. Some salamanders are blind but they can easily find their food.

Lifecycle-ZoomSchool.com

Male Euopean Earwig (left), Insect Photos.net, Female Earwig (right)-University of Minnesota Extension Service

Description 
Usually they are not found in the house since they like moist dark areas during the day. Males have curved pincers while females are usually straight and shorter.

Eggs and Nymphs-John B Free

Lifecycle
They overwinter in the soil and in spring females lay eggs in chamber deep in organic materials. They are one bug that actually has maternal properties. She tends the eggs and after hatching she forages for food for the young nymphs. The process from egg to adult is approximately 70 days.

Earwig Eating Caterpillar-Discoverlife.org

Habitat
They can be found in the daytime in dark places. Usually they climb up fences or other objects above the ground and hide between board or in crevices. They are nocturnal and do most of their damage at night. Sometimes they also hide between leaves of the plants that they attact. They don’t fly and don’t travel long distances, however they ‘hitchhike’ on various objects like a laundry basket, discarded newspaper, bikes or anything else that has places where they can hide. The compost pile is also a place they hide. These bugs are also beneficial as they will eat other bugs, so if they are not harming your plants do nothing.

Damage on Cosmos-Royal Horticultural Society (left)-Earwig on Daisy (right)-Calvin St Andrews

Diet and Damage
They feed on young seedlings and many different flowers, especial dahlias. They make small holes in the leaves and they will literally consume blossoms in an evening if you have an overpopulation. They are attracted to light so use outdoor lights that are bug resistant (usually yellow colour). They also eat other insects dead or alive so they can also be beneficial. I don’t recommend killing them unless you have a very serious problem.

Control
1) Hand Pick
At night use a flashlight to find them and drop them in soapy water.
2) Soap Spray
Spray areas where they may be hiding in the day with insecticidal soap.
3) Newspaper
Dampen some newspaper, roll it up and leave in places at night near the plants they are attacking. In the morning you can discard the newspaper rolls with them in it. Drop in a fire pit, that’ll work.
4) Sticky Traps
Use sticky traps around affected plants……they will stick and die.

*They do NOT crawl in your ear while you are sleeping LOL

Adult pirate bug-photo Biocontrol Network (left), Pirate Bug doing his job-Green Coast Hydroponics (right)

Description 
They are black/brown coloured and have wings but are not strong enough to fly around. They are usually carried in the wind. Nymphs are yellow to orange and smaller than the adults.

Lifecycle-Cornell University

Habitat and Lifecycle
These bugs are found mostly east of the rockies, California, and some mid-eastern provinces in Canada. They lay their eggs on the pollination plants in the flower and stem. Females can lay more than 80 eggs at a time. Eggs are clear to white and very tiny. They hatch in spring and begin feeding in early pollinating plants and insects. Summer is their most resourceful months. They feed on pollen if there are no prey available.

Nymph eating aphid-University of Wisconson

Diet
They eat spider mites, tiny caterpillars, whiteflies, aphids, thrips and many eggs of undesired pests.. A very good guy to have in your garden. They’re a great addition to any greenhouse or garden. They can also bite YOU later in the summer months. They just bite apparently and do not draw blood or inject venom.

How to attract them to your garden
Plant many pollinators, caraway, yarrow, cosmos & sunflowers (they attract many good bugs) around your garden. Toss some of your grass & loose mulch around the edges of your garden in the fall. It provides shelter for the bugs to overwinter in. Only do this if you have this bug present in your garden because other pests will also like these conditions. You can also buys these guys commercially. I have seen them advertised with vermiculite, perlite and other organic soil additives.

Common garter snake (left)-University of Maryland, San Francisco garter snake (right)

Description
They vary in size and colour depending on the areas they are found in. Brown, black, green and sometimes grey, garter snakes usually have a prominent stripe or two, red or yellow, on their sides. They are not poisonous but will bite you if they feel threatened. They range in length from two to three feet. If you pick them up they leave an awful nasty odour on your skin and clothes, however they won’t hurt or bite you. If they did bite you, they have no venom.

Eastern black garter snake (left), Checkered garter snake (right)-photos John O. Hollister

Habitat
They usually live near ponds, creeks and streams or any other sources of water. They are found in long grass around fences and houses. Be careful if you are trimming these grasses as the sting from the weed whacker can kill snakes. Having one of these guys in your garden is a bonus. Especially if you are a west coast gardener and have a problem with slugs. They love slugs and snails. They are active most of the day but rarely seen in the heat of the day and find somewhere to hide for this period. Although they eat worms, they are still a gardeners friend. Mating occurs in early spring or fall depending on species. Females have up to 40 live babies at one time. Most garter snakes hibernate during the winter. The hibernators band together in large groups and emerge again in the spring.

Two striped garter snake (left)-San Diego Natural History Museum, Mass of snakes (right)-Nature Photos Manitoba, Canada

Diet
All of these snakes eat slugs, snails, small insects, small frogs, toads, worms, leeches, mosquito larvae and small fishes. The snakes in turn are eaten by birds, wild dogs, cats and occasionally rodents.

How to Attract Them to your Garden
Snakes like heat so a good idea is to mound up some dirt and soak it thoroughly. Cover this with a black plastic garbage bag secure to the ground with dirt or stones. This makes a humid environment for the snakes and they will stay. I would advise making this around your garden since snakes will eat lots of bugs. They can be seen basking in the sun near the shelters they approve.