Are predatory insects plaguing your garden? While there are many types of beneficial nematodes, insecticidal ones are naturally occurring microscopic organisms that live and feed on insects in the soil. There are different types of nematodes that kill insects.
What do nematodes eat?
THE LIVING SOIL: NEMATODES Some feed on the plants and algae (first trophic level); others are grazers that feed on bacteria and fungi (second trophic level); and some feed on other nematodes (higher trophic levels). Free-living nematodes can be divided into four broad groups based on their diet.
What animals do nematodes eat?
Different free-living species feed on materials as varied as bacteria, algae, fungi, small animals, fecal matter, dead organisms, and living tissues. Free-living marine nematodes are important and abundant members of the meiobenthos.
Do nematodes live inside insects?
Insect parasitic nematodes are small, round worms that complete part of their life cycle in insects. Several species can kill insects in this process, and some are marketed as a biological control agent.
Do nematodes eat ladybugs?
Beneficial Nematodes. Beneficial nematodes seek out and kill over 200 species of pest insect in the soil and will have no detrimental affect on species such as ladybugs, earth worms and other helpful beneficial insects.