They’re tiny, voracious and pretty. They can eat 75 aphids per day and around 5,000 in a lifetime. They are also a serious threat to fruit flies, thrips, mites, scale insects, mealy bugs, and leaf-hoppers. Get enough ladybugs in your garden, and using pesticides for these unwanted insect pests becomes unnecessary.
The seven-spotted ladybug—the one that is scarlet red with black dots actually originated in Europe, but is now found throughout the world. (Its scientific name is Coccinellidae septempunctata which translates to “seven spotted scarlet beetle.)”
There are about 500 species of ladybugs native to North America. Worldwide, there are about 5,000 species. These tiny beetles are happy in just about any environment, can withstand cold -although they will hibernate for a portion of the time in the winter, nestling in organic matter found on the ground, rotten logs, under rocks or even in houses.
Not all ladybugs are red with black spots. Colors range from yellow to black, and even pink ones. They may or may not have stripes.
Currently, the most common native is the convergent Lady Beetle (Hippodamia convergens), but it (and most other native ladybug species) are being replaced by the Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axridis). The Asian Lady Beetle is much more voracious than all the other species of the genus. In addition to eating all the the insects that common ladybugs do, the Asian bug will also eat other species of ladybugs. Because of this, we’re seeing a serious decline in native and established European ladybugs.
How do you get ladybugs into your garden?
One way is to buy them. There are a lot of online retailers, and some local nurseries who carry them. But most of these are shipped from their breeding grounds. However these do migrate. So if they came from California, say, and you buy some, they will eat a few aphids in your garden and then fly back to California or wherever. Since they can fly very well –about 37 mph. Since they do have to land very few hours to rest, they can still travel up to 74 miles in a single flight. In a twelve-hour day, they can travel about 222 miles, which means they’ll be very far from your garden in a few days and your investment very far from you and unrecoverable.
The second way is to attract them. Ladybirds love coriander (cilantro), dill, and fennel. And you don’t have to like eating or cook with these plants. Just put one or two of each in your garden and let nature do the rest. Yarrow, cosmos, calendulas and marigolds also attract ladybugs, and it might be a good idea to put some of these plants in your flower garden.
Make sure there is enough groundcover for them to overwinter. A pile of autumn leaves, mulch, a woodpile, rocks, or anything else that these tiny creatures can crawl into and hibernate. As for mulch, use shredded bark or leaf-based mulch. Do not use dyed mulch.
And as you know, when you have ladybugs, or any other insect predators in your garden, do not use toxic chemical insecticides. In fact, if you have a number of predators like ladybugs, assassin bugs, lacewings, soldier beetles, hoverflies, or others, try not to use any pesticides organic or otherwise, which may harm these valuable predators.
