Spring brings with it beautiful blossoms, fresh air, warmer temperatures . . . and bugs!  Ants, gnats, tent worms, none of which are pleasant.  Ah, but spring also gives us ladybugs and lady beetles (Hippodamia convergens), which are the best-known garden predators available.  There are nearly 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs worldwide, 400 of which live in North America.  In fact, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio and Tennessee have adopted the ladybug as their official state insect!

As legend has it, in Europe, during the Middle Ages, the crops were being destroyed by insects, so the farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help.  The ladybugs came, ate the pests, and saved the crops!  The grateful farmers began calling the ladybugs “The Beetles of Our Lady” which eventually morphed into “Lady Beetles.”

With aphids, mealy bugs and mites being their favorite food, ladybugs are some of our most beneficial bugs; an adult ladybug can eat over 50 aphids a day.  These small, oval-winged insects are usually red with black spots, and are less than ¼ inch in length.  As they age, the color of the spots will fade.  If a bird, the primary predator of the ladybug, threatens a ladybug, she will play dead.

Some more silly facts about this delightful and advantageous visitor to our forests, fields, gardens, and yes, even our homes:

• Ladybugs chew from side to side and not up and down like people do.
• A gallon jar will hold from 72,000 to 80,000 ladybugs.
• A female ladybug will lay more than 1000 eggs in her lifetime.
• The Asian Lady Beetle can live up to 2-3 years if the conditions are right.
• In Sweden, it is believed that if a ladybug lands on a young maiden’s hand, she will soon be getting married.
• In England, finding a ladybug means that you will have a good harvest.
• In France, if you are sick and a ladybug lands on you, when it flies away, it will take the sickness with it.
• If you find a ladybug in your house in the winter you will have good luck!

Get to know your beneficial insects. They can be very useful in keeping the pests away and reducing the use of chemicals. And remember--when you do need to use chemicals in your garden, read the instructions carefully and consult with one of our nursery professionals, who can advise you on the best one to use for your particular problem.