Lady Bugs - Friend or Foe?

[CajunGarden]

Have been noticing a few Lady Bugs on Squash & Cubcumbers plants here lately. Should I get rid of them or let them eat

[vinyl217]

If they're ladybugs let 'em be, they're tremendous predators of aphids and other pests.

[barrelslime]

Catch em and send em to me LOL they are good leave them alone

[applestar]

https://amorphophallus.files.wordpress.c ... mes_sm.jpg

[valley]

Are all those ladybugs? Didn't know he made so many.

[lily51]

Are all those ladybugs? Didn't know he made so many.

These all belong to the ladybird beetle family. When most people say ladybugs, they are thinking of the red seven spot with black dots. It is very beneficial.
A lot of the beetles in this family are helpful, as they eat the pests that eat plants we like.
Some can be a problem, though, like the Mexican bean beetle.

[applestar]

Saw this one on a potato leaf today:

[mattie g]

Lucky you, apple!

I've only seen one ladybug in my garden so far, even though I have a decent number of aphids snooping around. I wish the garden center just around the corner carried ladybugs!

[joed2323]

Seems at times I have more ladybugs in my house then outside protecting my garden...

I think this year instead of my kids smacking them with the fly swatter I will try and gather them up and put them in my garden...

I'm sure that the ladybugs will fly away and not look twice at my garden, grrrr...

[Francis Barnswallow]

I found 7 lady bugs on my dill plant yesterday, they were doing the "naughty".

[mattie g]

I found 7 lady bugs on my dill plant yesterday, they were doing the "naughty".

Someone was the odd bug out!

Unless...

[mtgarden gal]

I don't know if this would be helpful, but I bought 3 perennial plants from a nursery for my flower beds called "lambs ear". (don't know the fancy legit name) and one day I was checking them over and they were covered with lady bugs. So seems to me that these plants definitely attract lady bugs, if they are ok to plant here and there in a veggie garden.

[RamonaGS]

As several members have told you already, ladybugs are a huge benefit to your garden to rid it of pests. But something else I learned when I was a teacher, is that ladybugs go through a life cycle very similar to butterflies and moths. I posted a link here so you can see and get to know what ladybugs look like in their different stages of life. I wouldn't have known they were baby ladybugs either, if I hadn't done a lesson plan about them and found the books, LOL!

https://willowridge.shs.k12.ny.us/WR_Tea ... %20Ladybug

[applestar]

You're right RamonaGS

Don't panic when you see something like this. This is a cause for celebration
(One of my cherry espaliers)

[valley]

when they're in the larva stage, they'll eat anything including each other.

[joed2323]

when they're in the larva stage, they'll eat anything including each other.

Only if we can figure out a way to actually get them to eat each other instead of our plants

[RamonaGS]

Your ladybug larvae eat your plants instead of other bugs? I was reading that there are a few rare varieties that do that. Would you be able to post a picture of the ladybugs you have so we can see them? Or maybe post a link from online? The ones I have are only the 7 spot, convergent, and Oak scale destroying ladybugs, but they all eat other bugs, kind of standard ladybugs really, lol

[Cola82]

My only real experience with ladybugs has been when they infest a home, which they have done twice in my life. Once when my dad was living in this tiny little house in the middle of nowhere (they were so thick he was vacuuming them off the ceiling) and later when I was living in my boyfriend's parents' house. I found one inside my current home this spring and immediately took it outside and put it on my plants, but that's about it.

I so rarely encounter them outside.

[RamonaGS]

They were probably nesting in those houses Cola. They find a nice warn corner to nestle in for the winter and then practically explode out of there once it gets to a certain temperature. My mom has ladybugs that nested in her yard this year, but are staying in the yard.

[Cola82]

After staying at said boyfriend's parents' house, you could literally pour the dessicated ladybug carcasses out of boxes, bags, and drawers. They got everywhere.

Anyway, lucky for your mom. I'd love to have a yard full of them.

[RamonaGS]

I love ladybugs, but I think that would really annoy me too, LOL! That is more than I have ever seen!

[RogueRose]

I love them. I've seen a few around from the ones I dumped last year. Would like to see more. I plan to get an order in soon.