The Gift of Ladybugs

The Gift of Ladybugs

Being on the permies forum we all know what a gift it is for mother nature to give the gift of ladybugs.  These pretty red with black spots bugs do a lot of good for our gardens.  Ladybugs eat aphids, mites, scales, thrips, and whiteflies.


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Ladybug Life Cycle


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Lady beetle females lay eggs in spring and early summer, sometimes up to 1,000 eggs over three months. You may spot the yellow-cream, oval eggs in clusters on plant leaves or stems.

Young ladybug larvae are mostly black, with some orange or red markings, and have three pairs of legs. Their look is often described as “alligator-like.”

After the pupa stage, during which insects transform from their young (larva stage) to their adult form, the lady beetle emerges in its familiar, iconic shape.

https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/gardens/animals-and-wildlife/are-ladybugs-good-garden

What can we do to attract them to our gardens?  There are a couple of ways to attract Ladybugs.  One is to plant pollen-laden flowers like these:

   Angelica
   Calendula
   Chives
   Cilantro
   Cosmos
   Dill
   Fennel
   Marigold
   Nasturtium
   Scented Geranium
   Sweet Alyssum
   Yarrow

Another way is to give them a place to live and hide is some sort of structure, like a pile of sticks or rocks or even a bug hotel:


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Here is a thread you might enjoy:

https://permies.com/t/13800/Ladybugs-rescue

Today is National Gift of the Ladybug Day!

My favorite has always been the twice stabbed ladybug!

Kevin, I know there is a lot of different ladybugs though this one I never heard of.

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-16_twicestabbed_ladybug.htm

The good thing is like the others this one likes aphids and also mealybugs.

I first saw one on a Forest Entomology class field trip.  Have seen them occasionally since, but they don’t seem as plentiful as other species.