Photo Gallery: Beneficials
Some of these can sometimes be a household nuisance–for example, ladybugs and ants–or even dangerous in the case of certain spiders or various stinging insects such as yellowjackets and hornets. However, they all play a beneficial role in nature. Along those lines, you may like to have a look at this helpful resource about Insectary Plants (part of a free online resource to help you discover and grow various plant species that are especially helpful at providing habitat and food for many insects).
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Allegheny Mound Ants in Bristol, Maine
Photo taken: 7/19/2017
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- Ambush Bugs
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- Bald-faced Hornets
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- Blood-Colored Checkered Beetle (Zenodosus sanguineus) (These beetles are predators of woodboring insects) (Bridgton, ME; 10/20/2023) (Photo courtesy of Rebecca Long, UMaine Extension)
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- Bumblebee (Sometimes written as two words)
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- Bumblebee (queen)
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- Honey Bee (Sometimes written as one word)
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- Honey Bee visiting a cranberry blossom
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- American Carrion Beetle (Necrophila americana) (Etna, ME; 6/12/2012)
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- Margined Carrion Beetle (Oiceoptoma noveboracense) (Etna, ME; 4/11/2010)
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- Dragonfly
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- Autumn Meadowhawk (dragonfly)
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- Dragonflies (the nymphs are aquatic)
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- Additional dragonfly images
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- Bronze Ground Beetle (“Bronze Carabid”) (Carabus nemoralis) (Stetson, ME; 5/21/2009)
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- Bronze Ground Beetle (“Bronze Carabid”) (Carabus nemoralis) (Etna, ME; 4/3/2010)
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- Gold-marked Thread-waisted Wasp (Eremnophila aureonotata) (Rockport, ME; 8/30/2020)
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- Great Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) (solitary; females provision their rearing chambers or cells with katydids, one per cell with one egg deposited on each one) (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Morton; Detroit, Maine; 8/19/2021)
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- Greene’s Giant Ichneumonid Wasp (Megarhyssa greenei) (Panton, VT – but also found in Maine) (9/29/2025) (Photo courtesy of Warren Chase)
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- A species of Ichneumonidae wasp (Therion circumflexon) (North Anson, ME; 5/23/2024) (Photo courtesy of Carol Lehto)
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- Lacewings
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- Ladybug Larva
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- Ladybug Larva with Green Peach Aphids
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- Ladybug larva on a cranberry leaf
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- Convergent Lady Beetle (Hippodamia convergens) (voracious aphid predator; used commercially in biological control programs)
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- Two-spotted Lady Beetles (aphid predators) (Adalia bipunctata)
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- Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle (adults feed on aphids, thrips, mites, scale insects and other soft-bodied arthropods)
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- Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle — ID Tip: The large, black ‘W’ pattern that can be seen just behind the head is a handy way of identifying the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle from other types of ladybugs.
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- Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle on a rose leaf
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- Group of Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles (adults move indoors in search of warm places to spend the winter)
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- Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle
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- Monarch caterpillars (5th and final instar stage) (on host plant, milkweed)
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- A young Monarch butterfly resting on a rose (central Maine)
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- American Lady Butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis) (Boothbay, Maine; 9/1/2008) (also called American Painted Lady and very similar to Vanessa cardui)
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- Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui) (Schoodic Point in Winter Harbor, Maine; 10/10/2017)
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Praying Mantids
(also written as Praying Mantises)
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- Carolina Mantis (Stagmomantis carolina)
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- A species of pseudoscorpion (Pseudoscorpions are considered beneficial organisms as they eat a large number of tiny pest invertebrates.)
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- Red Flat Bark Beetle (Cucujus clavipes) (they are predators on other insects) (York County, ME; April 11th, 2022) (Photo courtesy of P. Wirth)
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- Robber Fly (female Efferia aestuans) (Scarbarough, ME; 7/17/2022)
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- Robber Fly (female Efferia aestuans) (Scarbarough, ME; 7/17/2022)
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- Rove Beetle (possibly Ocypus nitens)
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- Gold-and-brown Rove Beetle (Ontholestes cingulatus) (Boothbay Harbor, ME; 6/3/2011)
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- Hairy Rove Beetle (Creophilus maxillosus); Etna, ME, 6/9/2018.
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- Hairy Rove Beetle; Etna, ME, 6/9/2018 (same specimen from the adjacent photo, but here it is displaying its defensive, ball-like posture)
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- Springtails (Photo courtesy of C Senn. Lincolnville, ME; 3/11/2016)
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- Closeup of a globular springtail
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- Springtails (snowfleas) collected from a cranberry bog
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- Spring Firefly larva (Genus Pyractomena) (5/10/2024; Fort Kent, ME) (Photo courtesy of Rebeccah Douglas-Leblond)
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- Firefly larva (Genus Pyractomena) (9/30/2024; Kennebunk, ME) (Photo courtesy of Kari Gates)
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- Margined Calligrapher (Toxomerus marginatus)
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- Margined Calligrapher (Toxomerus marginatus) feeding on pollen and/or nectar from a hop clover flower; 7/7/2008 (their larvae feed on aphids, thrips, and small caterpillars)
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- Tufted Globetail (Sphaerophoria contigua) (Photo courtesy of Dana Wilde from Unity, ME) (mid July, 2013)
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- Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax) (a species of syrphid fly that mimics a honey bee drone)
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- Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax) (Drone fly is sometimes written as one word: Dronefly)
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- Transverse-banded Flower Fly (Eristalis transversa) (another example of a species that mimics bee/yellowjacket patterning)
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- Tachinid Fly (most members act as parasitoids on caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, etc.)
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- Tachinid fly (likely Hystricia abrupta) (Newburgh, ME; 7/28/2020) The adults of this species feed on nectar and their larvae develop inside caterpillars (Photo courtesy of J Atherton)
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- Pair of mating Tachinid flies (Juriniopsis adusta) (Alfred, ME; 7/11/2024) (Photo courtesy of Judee Meyer)
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- Pair of mating Tachinid flies (Juriniopsis adusta) (Alfred, ME; 7/11/2024) (Photo courtesy of Judee Meyer)
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- Tachinid Fly – Photo courtesy of Ashley Anderson (Dayton, ME) (July 2013)
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- Tachinid Fly – Photo courtesy of Ashley Anderson (Dayton, ME) (July 2013)
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- A Tachinid fly in the genus Cylindromyia (they are common flower visitors in open/weedy areas)
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- Tachinid Fly
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- Tomentose Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus tomentosus) with a group of phoretic mites hitching a ride (South Portland, ME; 8/28/2025) (Photo courtesy of Michael Hanson)
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- Roundneck Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus orbicollis) covered in hitch-hiking phoretic mites (Bar Harbor, ME; 9/15/2025) (Photo courtesy of Tony Preston-Schreck)
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- Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) (Old Town, ME; 5/30/2025) (people often see one of these and assume it’s an emerald ash borer due mostly to their metallic green color)
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- Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) (Orono, ME; 5/12/2022) (Photo credit: courtesy of Edward S. Grew) (some variants are more bluish in color and don’t always have the white spots or have only two instead of six)
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- Guinea Paper Wasps (Polistes exclamans)
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- Northern Paper Wasp (Polistes fuscatus) (known also by three other common names: Dark Paper Wasp, Golden Paper Wasp and the Common Paper Wasp)
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- Catskill Potter Wasp (Ancistrocerus catskill) (Troy, ME; 6/17/2008) (This wasp is a solitary species of Vespid wasp in the group known as Potter and Mason wasps.)
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- A sand wasp (Bicyrtes ventralis) (Troy, Maine; 7/29/2009) Sand wasps are solitary, non-aggressive and beneficial.
Additional Photos and Information:
- Allegheny Mound Ants
- Ambush Bugs
- American Carrion Beetle
- Anchor Stink Bug (BugGuide.net)
- Ants (Overall/ecologically, ants are beneficial)
- Bald-faced Hornets
- Blood-colored Checkered Beetle (BugGuide.net)
- Bronze Carabid / Bronze Ground Beetle
- Bumblebees (BugGuide.net) — see also How to Create a Bee-Friendly Landscape
- Carolina Mantis (BugGuide.net)
- Carrion Beetles
- American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) (endangered) (BugGuide.net)
- American Carrion Beetle (Necrophila americana)
- Banded Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus investigator) (BugGuide.net)
- Boreal Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides) (BugGuide.net)
- Margined Carrion Beetle (Oiceoptoma noveboracense)
- Roundneck Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus orbicollis) (BugGuide.net)
- Tomentose Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus tomentosus) (BugGuide.net)
- Convergent Lady Beetle (BugGuide.net)
- Dragonflies
- European Ground Beetle
- Firefly larvae (Genus Pyractomena) (BugGuide.net)
- Golden Paper Wasps (BugGuide.net)
- Gold-marked Thread-waisted Wasp (BugGuide.net)
- Great Golden Digger Wasp (prey includes katydids, grasshoppers, etc.) (Univ. of Wisconsin)
- Greene’s Giant Ichneumonid Wasp (BugGuide.net)
- Ground and Tiger Beetles (Penn State)
- Ground-nesting Solitary Bees (Cornell)
- Honey bees (eXtension.org)
- Ichneumonid wasps
- Greene’s Giant Ichneumonid Wasp (BugGuide.net)
- Therion circumflexum (BugGuide.net)
- Lacewings (Virginia Tech)
- Ladybugs / Ladybird Beetles
- Convergent Lady Beetle (BugGuide.net)
- Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle
- Two-spotted Lady Beetle (BugGuide.net)
- Paper Wasps
- Praying Mantids (Univ. of Kentucky)
- Predatory Stink Bugs (Univ. of Maryland)
- Pseudoscorpions (BugGuide.net)
- Red Flat Bark Beetle (Penn State / New Kensington)
- Robber Flies (NC State Extension)
- Efferia aestuans (BugGuide.net)
- Roundneck Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus orbicollis) (BugGuide.net)
- Rove Beetles (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- Gold-and-brown Rove Beetle (BugGuide.net)
- Hairy Rove Beetle (BugGuide.net)
- Ocypus nitens (BugGuide.net)
- Sand Wasps (Missouri Dept of Conservation)
- Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (BugGuide.net)
- Spiders
- Spined Soldier Bug (BugGuide.net)
- Springtails / Snowfleas
- Spring Firefly larvae (Genus Pyractomena) (BugGuide.net) — see also Spring Fireflies (LSU College of Agriculture)
- Examples of some predatory Stink Bugs:
- Anchor Stink Bug (BugGuide.net)
- Spined Soldier Bug (BugGuide.net)
- Syrphid Flies (also called Hover Flies or Flower Flies)
- Cylindromyia (BugGuide.net)
- Hystricia abrupta) (BugGuide.net)
- Juriniopsis adusta (BugGuide.net)
- Tachina (Tachinid) Flies (BugGuide.net)
- Tiger Beetles (Texas A&M)
- Tomentose Burying Beetle (BugGuide.net)
- Two-spotted Lady Beetle (BugGuide.net)
- Yellowjackets/Hornets/Wasps