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A Compost Primer
Most gardeners and landscapers will agree almost unanimously that the single best thing you can do for your lawn is to add compost. Good, organic compost can remedy almost...read more on organic gardening
Resin Patio Furniture Robust Furniture Ranges For Outdoor Areas
Resin patio furniture is synonymous with durability, low-maintenance, UV-resistance, weather-resistance, and lightweight maneuverability. The Kettler company has built a...read more on organic gardening
Grow Your Own SIMPLE Tea Garden
Materials Needed 1 decorative clay or metal planter 1 package of clay pellets (approx. 30 pellets) 3 packets of organic tea leaves seeds (YOUR CHOICE) Grow-rich or...read more on organic gardening
Grow Monster Cosmos
Every year I plant the cosmos variety ?Versailles? by seed, as well as ?Seashell?, ?Sonata?, and ?Psycho?, in my garden (Cosmos bipannutus, Hardy to Zone 5). And every year...read more on organic gardening
Everyone Needs A Spaghetti Garden
One of the delightful pleasures of life are herbs. Besides adding beauty to your garden they make foods taste better and provide a pleasant scent to the air we breathe. In...read more on organic gardening
Control Those Weeds the Easy Way
Unfortunately, weed seeds are very quick to germinate. In fact,
weed seeds only need to be within an inch of the soil surface to
sprout. It doesn't take long before they...read more on organic gardening
Growing White Pine Trees In The Towanda Pa Area
Planting White Pine Trees In the Towanda Pa. Area White pines.
Whenever I think of white pines, I remember hunting when I was a
kid and standing near trees that were...read more on organic gardening
Starting a Shade Garden
Starting a Shade Garden The shade garden can be exploding with color and texture. No matter how much shade is in your landscape, the right flowers, plants, bushes and...read more on organic gardening
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Ladybugs, also called lady beetles or ladybirds, can be a gardener’s best friend. The ladybug’s bright coloring brings welcomed cheer to the garden, as well as helping with pest control. Since medieval times, ladybugs have been valued by farmers all over the world. Many believe that the ladybug was divinely sent to free crops of insect pests. In fact, that is how the ladybug got its name. People dedicated the bug to the Virgin Mary and therefore called it “The Bug of our Lady”, which was eventually shortened to the present name “ladybug”.
Adult ladybugs are usually oval or domed shaped and have red wings, yellow wings or shades and variations of these colors. The number of black spots can range from no spots to 15 spots and they are typically about one quarter inch in size or smaller.
The length of the life cycle of a ladybug varies depending upon temperature, humidity, and food supply. Usually the life cycle from egg to adult is about three to four weeks, and up to six weeks during the cooler spring months. During the spring the adult female ladybug can lay up to three hundred eggs in an aphid colony. The eggs normally hatch in two to five days. The newly hatched larvae feed on aphids for up to three weeks and then enter the pupae stage. About one week later, the adult ladybug emerges. There can be as many as six generations of ladybugs hatched in a year.
The ladybug enjoys popularity around the world. These pretty insects have long been considered a symbol of good luck and fortune because of their ability to eat an enormous amount of aphids. One ladybug can eat as many as 50 to 60 aphids per day. Aphids (also called plant lice) are herbivores and are one of the worst groups of pests on plants. They feed in colonies and damage plants by sucking the juice out of the leaves, stems, or roots. While aphids feed, they damage plant tissue creating a loss of plant fluids and the photosynthetic tissue needed to produce energy for plant growth. Some plants will show no adverse response to aphids, while others react with twisted, curled or swollen leaves or stems. Aphids also transmit many plant diseases from one plant to another.
Apart from aphids, ladybugs eat a variety of other insects and larvae including white flies, mealy bugs, spider mites, and other types of soft-bodied insects. They also require a source of pollen for food and for that reason are attracted to certain types of plants. Their preferred plants have umbrella shaped flowers such as dill, fennel, angelica, tansy, caraway, cilantro, yarrow, and wild carrot. Other plants that attract ladybugs include cosmos (especially the white ones), dandelions, coreopsis, and scented geraniums.
If your garden does not have adequate space to plant ladybug attracting plants, you can purchase ladybugs from numerous websites on the internet and most nurseries. Before releasing them into your garden, here are a few tips to help ensure that the ladybugs stay where you want them:
1.Release ladybugs near infested plants after sun down or before sun up. They navigate by the sun and are most likely to stay put in the evenings and early mornings.
2.Water the area where you are going to release the ladybugs. They will appreciate the drink and the moisture on the leaves will help the ladybugs to “stick” on the plants. If released in a dry garden, the ladybugs will most likely fly off in search of a drink instead of sticking around to eat.
3.In the warmer months, chill the ladybugs in the refrigerator before releasing them. This will not harm the ladybugs and they tend to crawl more in colder temperatures rather than fly away.
Another way to attract ladybugs to your garden is to place several ladybug habitation boxes around your garden. Fill the boxes with organic material such as peat or compost to encourage ladybugs to roost and lay eggs inside the box. In addition, the habitation box also provides protection for the ladybugs in the winter months.
To further promote ladybug populations, consider cutting back on spraying insecticides in your garden. Ladybugs are sensitive to most synthetic insecticides and if the majority of their food source is gone, they will not lay their eggs and therefore will not continue to populate.
Here are some interesting ladybug facts:
•There are nearly 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs worldwide and 400 which live in North America.
•A female ladybug will lay more than 1000 eggs in her lifetime.
•A ladybug beats its wings 85 times a second when it flies.
•A gallon jar will hold from 72,000 to 80,000 ladybugs.
•Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes terrible so that birds and other predators won't eat them.
•The spots on a ladybug fade as the ladybug gets older.
•Ladybugs won't fly if the temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
•The ladybug is the official state insect of Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee.
As you can see, the ladybug is one of the most effective and economically important insects to have in your garden. In some cultures, seeing ladybugs in gardens indicates a bountiful harvest, an indication of good weather or a good luck omen. Create an alluring environment for ladybugs and they are sure to provide charm and pest control in your garden for years to come.
About the Author
Copyright 2005, Lesley Dietschy, All rights reserved.
Lesley Dietschy is the creator/editor of The Home Decor Exchange, a popular home decor, garden decor, and home improvement website. Please visit the website for quality resources, articles, ideas, tips, free projects, and much more. The website also has a shopping marketplace and a unique Gallery featuring Pine Needle Baskets and Gourd Art. http://www.HomeDecorExchange.com
Written by:
Lesley Dietschy
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