Ladybugs

Lady bugs, ladybirds a part of superstitious beliefs regarding luck or wishes.

A most beneficial insect to have in a backyard garden.

Lady Bugs are Aphid Control

These colourful beetles ... ya, ya, ya ! ....

.... eat thousands of aphids in a lifetime.

So you hope they fly away home and home is in your backyard garden.

So much for ladybug lore.

Our gardener needed aphid control this past summer.

The snowball bush and crab-apple tree's new growth was

    covered with aphids devouring the tender shoots.

The aphids were being well tended by the farmer ants.

Yes, ants farm aphids for the sweet sticky honeydew substance created by the sucking aphids.

So our gardener plans to attract ladybugs this coming year.

Aphids are eaten by the thousand as well as mealy bugs and scale bugs.

Garden pest control in a beetle !

                                   Ladybugs' Lifecycle

Laying their eggs close by aphid and mealy bug colonies ....

.... Larvae and adults consume these garden pests.

Lady beetles eat pollen as well.

To attract these ladies, grow plants that will provide nectar for them to eat.

Dill, cilantro, fennel, caraway ...

... as well as scented geraniums and white cosmos attract these beneficial insects.

Other attraction ideas the gardener is thinking of

A ladybug feeder ....

.... simple to make from bamboo ....

.... Stuffed with raisins ....

.... They like this !

A Ladybug house ....

.... A place they might like to shelter over winter.

Both can be home built or purchased from gardening supply shops.

The gardener should be able to recognize the larvae and eggs of lady bugs.

Eggs are orange-yellow ovals under leaves ....

.... Pupa and larvae .... creepy looking alligator like creatures, are blue, black and orange.

Do not destroy them.

Apparently, if ladybugs do not call your backyard garden home you can purchase them.

The dollars spent to release these beetles in the vegetable garden may or may not be worth the investment.

Often when let loose they do not stay to eat your aphids !

Best advice given to our gardener was to read and follow the instructions for their release.

Be sure to develop a garden plan with lady bug attraction methods.

They will hang out and provide green pest control extraordinaire.

In 1999 NASA sent ladybugs and aphids into space.

Can aphids escape these predators in zero gravity?

Our gardener read a report of the beetles making it back to earth.

What a way to fly away home !

There was no mention of the aphids !

Vegetable gardens of all kinds need a plan to attract and be kind to the lady bugs.

These predators are one of Mother Nature's organic gardening pest control methods.

 The Best Aphid Control

We vegetable plants are happy with these little gals ( and guys ).

They eat those that might eat us before our gardener is able to harvest his homegrown food.

Ladybugs are of the highest order in organic pest control.

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