When you’re in the garden, it may be your natural instinct to make sure there isn’t a pest around for miles. The mere idea of insects snacking on any of your plants is a worry to most gardeners. Many, however, have a special place in their hearts for ladybugs. In fact, some even have ladybugs shipped in to let loose in their gardens. Are they really that helpful, though? Do you actually want them around?
Beneficials
There’s an entire class of bugs called beneficials because they dine only on other pests, and ladybugs fall perfectly into this category. Also called the lady beetle or the ladybird beetle, while they’re in the larvae stage of life, they’re very hungry. They love aphids more than anything else, but they’re more than willing to eat scales, mealy bugs, leaf hoppers, and mites if they’re available. One ladybug can eat more than 5,000 aphids during a lifetime, and if you multiply that out and imagine adding several to your garden, you have a place free of problem pests.
So, Should They Be In Your Garden?
Absolutely. If you have closely-growing plants and flowers that provide nectar and pollen to help attract them, this is the way to go. You have to keep your garden virtually chemical free to attract them and keep them there, and you’ll need to keep things moist as well. While you can order them, you can also simply attract them. Any pest control professional will tell you that native plants are key to establishing a good ladybug population. Make certain you’re familiar with the entire lifecycle, though,or you may accidentally kill them.
Don’t confuse ladybugs with their evil twins the Asian beetle, though. While these two often look fairly similar to the untrained eye, the Asian beetle is not a friend of your garden or your home, and your best bet is to contact a good Brevard County pest control service to help identify and eliminate them if necessary.