BY LESLIE COX
Special to the Record
When cleaning up the garden beds at this time of year, it is almost impossible not to come face-to-face with a soil creature of some species. If you are really lucky you will spot more than one.
But are you one of those gardeners who shudders at the sight of a creepy crawly? Or worse鈥� you automatically snuff it out?
What if I told you there is a very good chance that the soil creature you just destroyed was not a bad guy at all, but a very good garden helper? I am serious.
One of the 鈥済ood guys鈥� I uncovered the other day was a creamy-brown-coloured soil centipede. I was gently raking the leaf mulch off a bed and there it was, twisting half its body into a complicated Celtic knot, a species recognizable feature. It also had a lot of legs, another species feature.
You want centipedes in your garden as much as you want lots of earthworms, for their tunneling prowess in aerating the soil for you. But unlike earthworms, the soil centipede preys on invertebrates living underground, effectively controlling pest numbers for the gardener. Being blind, these hunters locate their prey using their highly sensitive antennae, then grab their victim in their pincer-like front legs and inject a toxin into their captive. Dinner is served.
As the soil is slowly warming up, soil centipedes are starting to get active after spending a quiet winter, almost in a hibernation state. With underground pests looking to nibble on plant roots, centipedes are making sure the damage will be minimal.
Speaking of nibbling and warming soil, the wireworms may show themselves if you are doing any digging as you rearrange parts of your landscape design. I am sure at least most of you know a wireworm when you see one. A short, skinny, reddish-brown coloured worm-like creature lying in the bottom of the hole you just dug. The non-squeamish amongst you might also know that squishing wireworms takes some pressure in order to crush their tough exoskeleton. (Sorry! Hope you weren鈥檛 just enjoying your morning muffin!)
You want to annihilate the 鈥渂ad guy鈥� wireworms when you see them in your soil as they can do a lot of damage. But whatever you do, leave those white-coloured skinny, worm-like creatures that are about the same size as a wireworm alone. These are stiletto fly larvae and very much a beneficial insect in the garden. They hunt and devour wireworms, among other soil-dwelling creatures, saving the gardener from having to tediously hunt wireworms themselves. (Although, if you do not mind sacrificing your potatoes, you can use strategically placed pieces of potato to trap wireworms.)
There is another baddie to watch for in the soil over the next few weeks: white pupae of the black vine weevil. They are short, chunky and cylindrical and if you look closely, there is an appendage tucked against either side that gives the impression of the creature鈥檚 legs. Come spring, the adult weevils will emerge from the pupal stage and climb up into your rhododendrons and other preferred food plants to feast on the leaf edges.
Ever spot a shiny black, skinny, beetle-like creature crawling around underground? You might espy pincher-style mandibles at its front end and earwig-like appendages on its tail end. You will notice the segmented, hard-shelled, exoskeletal body.
Leave it alone! It is a ground beetle larva and very much a 鈥済ood guy.鈥� They prey on slugs, snails, root-eating insects and other invertebrates that live in the soil.
Last, but not least, watch for the long, white, filament-like mermithid nematode. Could be in the soil or on your plants, if it is raining hard. This is a parasite that preys on arthropods. Another good guy in the garden!
Leslie Cox co-owns Growing Concern Cottage Garden in Black Creek. Her website is https://duchessofdirt.ca/
