mantid in flowers

Beneficial Arthropods

What is an arthropod?

Arthropods are organisms that have segmented body (i.e., head, abdomen, thorax), jointed tarsas, and antennae. Arthropods include insects, spiders, mites, centipedes etc.

Why are arthropod’s important?

Beneficial arthropods play roles in our environment that are recognized as being beneficial to humans.  These arthropods include predators, parasitoids, and pollinators.

Two Types of Beneficial Arthropods

Mantids
Green Lacewings

Recommended Websites

For more information on beneficial arthropods, see the WSU-Extension bulletin Beneficial Insects, Spiders, and Mites in Your Garden: Who they are and how to get them to stay (Home Garden Series), available at no cost from the WSU Publications Store.

Two helpful species in the home gardens are mantids and green lacewings.  Please see the webpages for each of these arthropods for more information on their function in the garden and how to identify them in your yard.