Aphid Predators are the natural enemy of an aphid insect and a gardener's best friend. While there are a wide variety of aphid predator bugs that can help your garden, some of the most commonly used are the gall midges and hoverflies.
Gall midge or gall gnats produce bright yellowish-orange colored larvae that can grow up to 3 mm in length.
The larvae can take up to three days before they hatch, then feed for up to two weeks before they become an adult.
During its larvae stage, the nocturnal gall midge will hide under leaves during the day and then viciously attack and feast on their prey at night by sucking out the contents of the aphid's body.
After having its fill on the harmful bugs, the larvae will go underground until it enters the final stage as an adult gnat.
Once the midge grows to adult stage, the tiny gnat will feed on aphid honeydew and lay eggs in the remaining colonies of aphids.
The hoverfly produces larvae that can grow up to 12mm long. The larvae are unique in their own way as they have a semi-transparent body and their internal organs can be seen.
Hoverfly larvae generally feed on aphids but are also known to snack on mealybugs and caterpillars. They will even feast on their own kind if food is scarce.
The adult hoverfly is often mistaken for the harmful fruit fly because of its vivid colors. Hoverflies generally visit flowers for nectar and can be seen depositing their eggs near aphid colonies and feeding on the honeydew of their aphid enemies.
Both gall midge and hoverflies are extremely beneficial to gardens and greenhouses. Gall midge gnats are known for feeding on over 60 types of aphids while the larvae of the hoverfly can control up to 80 percent of aphid garden insects, while their adult counterparts are excellent as pollinators.
