Many people have memories and funny reactions when they encounter a ladybug. You have good reason to believe that ladybugs are good … and not just to bring good luck.
Many gardeners use ladybirds in their gardens and orchards, they take care of plants by eating pests such as aphids and white flies.
Aphids are their main source of food. Ladybirds can eat about 400 aphids during their development and an adult about 5000 aphids during their lifetime. Is not it amazing?
What do Ladybugs need?
Ladybugs eat all sorts of insects, but beyond insects, they need a large source of pollen in their food and are attracted to certain types of plants. The most popular are those with bell – shaped flowers, such as tulips and lilies, which catch the water and keep the atmosphere fresh inside. Ladybugs like to make their homes in these flowers in summer.
But there are other plants whose ladybugs are attracted as sweet grass (Pimpinella anisum L.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), Cumin (Cominum cyminum), Angelica (Angelica officinalis), carrot (Daucus carota sativa), yarrow ( Achilea millefollium L) Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) mainly white, corseopsis ( Coreopsis lanceolata), fragrant Geranium (Pelargonium sp) and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale L,).
In addition to plants we must stop using insecticides, ladybugs are very sensitive. Probably if you have ladybugs in your garden or vegetable garden, it is possible that it is based on the plants where the aphid colonies usually settle.
Ladybug eggs are yellow, tiny, oval and usually found in groups of 10-15 eggs. They take 2 to 5 days to hatch. Aphid larvae feed eagerly for 2 to 3 weeks until they are adults.
In the fall the adults hibernate in plant debris or cracks and holes in the old trunks, they usually do it in groups so we can find hundreds of ladybugs in the trunk of a tree, under a stone or even next to a fence along the entire cold season. They particularly like areas that have leaves to protect themselves from the cold all winter long.
Insect hotels
We can also build a hotel for insect, it will be used mainly as shelter in winter.
The scientific name for ladybugs is Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata.
Now you know what to do to attract these wonderful insects to all gardens and parks!
© This article is translated from the permaculture site Da Semente a Árvore by Silvia Floresta in Portuguese.
Learn more
Check out other articles from the blog Da Semente a Árvore about Mediterranean plants, mushrooms and gardens
How to attract bees? Click here
Discover Aldeia do Vale, a permaculture school in Portugal
Discover Quinta das Relvas, a farm in Portugal focused on sustainability and art where i had the chance to meet Silvia and attend the Permaculture Design Course in the context of Build up your life’s Erasmus + project.
