Not all critters are welcome – gardeners have it in for ants, mites, fungi, and bacteria that attack ornamental plants. Others – like the ladybug , which feeds on aphids – help them control pests . And most simply add their note to the biodiversity of these urban oases, much more populated than we suspect.
Some of its tiny tenants , often invisible to human eyes, are the ground beetle , of the Carabidae family, which gives a good account of the other invertebrates that make up its diet, such as snails, slugs and other undesirables of the garden; the typical , a harmless fly that feeds mainly on decomposing vegetables; or the assassin bug ( Rhinocoris iracundus ), which uses its long proboscis or tubular appendage to penetrate the skin of its prey (flies, bees …) and suck their blood.
