What Insects Eats Lavender?
Because of its strong aroma, many common plant-eating insects, such as aphids, do not eat lavender plants. In fact, some gardeners use lavender as a natural insect repellent by planting it amongst other flowering plants more popular with insects. Several species of insects, however, are known to eat the pollen and nectar from lavender plants, including the common honeybee, the hover fly, the rosemary beetle and the woodland skipper butterfly. Does this Spark an idea?
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Rosemary Beetle
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The rosemary beetle (Chrysolina Americana) is a small metallic green beetle with purple stripe-like markings on its back. It feeds on the leaves of herbs such as lavender, rosemary, thyme and sage. The rosemary beetle is native to parts of southern Europe and has become a nuisance to farmers and gardeners in many parts of the continent, including England. The beetle's larvae, which are gray in color, can be found on the underside of a host plant's leaves, usually during the fall and spring months.
The Woodland Skipper
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The woodland skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides) is a species of butterfly native to many parts of North America. It can be found in grasslands and shrublands. The woodland skipper, also called the orange woodland skipper, is brownish orange or yellow in color. Adult woodland skippers feed on a variety of nectar-producing plants including lavender, thistle and knapweed.
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Honeybee
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The common honeybee, or Apis mellifera, is an insect native to many parts of Europe. Though honeybees are not native to North America, early settlers brought them; since then, they've since become common throughout much of the continent. Honeybees gather pollen from many types of plants, including lavender. The pollen is used as the bee's food source. Bees also eat plant nectar, including lavender nectar, which they make into honey. Honey can be used as a food source for the bees throughout the entire year.
The Hover Fly
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The hover fly (Toxomerus germinatus) is an insect which closely resembles the common honeybee. The hoverfly, however, is not a stinging insect. Hoverflies are native to many parts of the United States. They are usually about 7 to 10 mm in length with yellow and black markings on their abdomens. Though hoverfly larvae feed on small bugs in the dirt called aphids, adult hoverflies feed exclusively on flower nectar. Like their lookalike insect relatives, honeybees, hover flies are known to feed on the nectar of lavender plants.
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References
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