Ladybird Beetles, Friends of the Gardener, Offer Natural Control of Aphids
Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home...
Its an old nursery rhyme that most of us are familiar with.
But not everyone knows how truly beneficial the Ladybird Beetle (or Ladybug, as the species is called here in North America) is in the garden.
To be sure, large numbers of them can be a nuisance, especially in the spring when they tend to congregate on the sunny side of a building shortly after coming out of hibernation.
Or in the Autumn, when they are looking for quarters in which to hibernate and end up wandering into buildings.
They can also be a problem if they taint wine grapes.
In these cases, control may be warranted.
But, in the long run, it is better to have them around to protect your roses, birches, crape myrtles and other plants that are susceptible to aphid infestation and damage.
Both the adult and the larvae of Ladybird Beetles are voracious consumers of aphids.
If given the opportunity, they are capable of making short work of any aphid infestation.
If you plan to use these beneficial insects in your garden try to enlist the cooperation of your neighbors.
By this I mean get them to do the same.
When you purchase Ladybugs from your local garden supply store, they have usually been kept in cool temperatures, as if in hibernation, and their first instinct will be to fly, mate and disperse to lay their eggs.
If you are the only gardener releasing them, you may lose most of your new assistants.
However, if your neighbors also do a release at the same time, you will all benefit from the increase in the Ladybug population.
When using these beetles as a natural means of aphid control, be sure that you are not using insecticides that may affect them.
Immediately after dispersing, the adult females will go to work feeding on aphids, scales and other sucking insects.
They will also lay large numbers of eggs and the emerging larvae will also begin feeding.
Within a few short weeks they will have eliminated the majority of your aphid population.
Each year I experience this miracle, without having to introduce any Ladybird Beetles, because I already have a large, native population in my yard.
It's a pleasure not to have to worry about aphids and just let nature take her course.
There are, of course, times when you may have to treat your plants with insecticides to control aphids.
At those times I recommend the use of a systemic insecticide because systemics, when properly applied by a licensed, trained professional, have the least chance of adversely affecting the environment, or beneficials, such as the Ladybird Beetle.
Its an old nursery rhyme that most of us are familiar with.
But not everyone knows how truly beneficial the Ladybird Beetle (or Ladybug, as the species is called here in North America) is in the garden.
To be sure, large numbers of them can be a nuisance, especially in the spring when they tend to congregate on the sunny side of a building shortly after coming out of hibernation.
Or in the Autumn, when they are looking for quarters in which to hibernate and end up wandering into buildings.
They can also be a problem if they taint wine grapes.
In these cases, control may be warranted.
But, in the long run, it is better to have them around to protect your roses, birches, crape myrtles and other plants that are susceptible to aphid infestation and damage.
Both the adult and the larvae of Ladybird Beetles are voracious consumers of aphids.
If given the opportunity, they are capable of making short work of any aphid infestation.
If you plan to use these beneficial insects in your garden try to enlist the cooperation of your neighbors.
By this I mean get them to do the same.
When you purchase Ladybugs from your local garden supply store, they have usually been kept in cool temperatures, as if in hibernation, and their first instinct will be to fly, mate and disperse to lay their eggs.
If you are the only gardener releasing them, you may lose most of your new assistants.
However, if your neighbors also do a release at the same time, you will all benefit from the increase in the Ladybug population.
When using these beetles as a natural means of aphid control, be sure that you are not using insecticides that may affect them.
Immediately after dispersing, the adult females will go to work feeding on aphids, scales and other sucking insects.
They will also lay large numbers of eggs and the emerging larvae will also begin feeding.
Within a few short weeks they will have eliminated the majority of your aphid population.
Each year I experience this miracle, without having to introduce any Ladybird Beetles, because I already have a large, native population in my yard.
It's a pleasure not to have to worry about aphids and just let nature take her course.
There are, of course, times when you may have to treat your plants with insecticides to control aphids.
At those times I recommend the use of a systemic insecticide because systemics, when properly applied by a licensed, trained professional, have the least chance of adversely affecting the environment, or beneficials, such as the Ladybird Beetle.
