Some home gardeners may be surprised to learn that they could combat garden pests by attracting ladybugs. This type of beetle is actually beneficial to garden plants because it feeds on other species that are actually pests. Lovers of native plants prefer to keep the beneficial insects at home to ensure natural protection. So here are some gardening tips that might help you.
How to attract ladybugs to protect your plants
In order to better inform yourself about how to distinguish between species of ladybirds, there are a few special features worth knowing. The seven-spotted ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata), for example, is native to Eurasia and is best known for eating aphids and scale insects. The pink spotted beetle (Coleomegilla maculata) is so named because the background on which its spots appear can be pink or red. Gardeners use this ladybug against aphids, and it even eats mites as well. However, don't assume that all ladybugs are beneficial. The Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis) is a species that eats plants but not other pests.
If you find plants in your garden that are covered in black fungus and/or ants, the real culprit may be one of the sucking insect pests like aphids. Identifying and controlling these pests can save you a lot of extra landscaping. In addition, you can plant ladybugs in the garden to help you with your gardening, because such pests are food for ladybugs. Luckily there isPlants you can growif you want to attract ladybugs to the garden. This way, you let these beneficial insects themselves do the work for you.
What do ladybugs eat?
You may be used to fighting species such as June beetles (Phyllophaga longispina), Colorado potato beetles (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), and Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica). What does a ladybug eat in the garden and does it offer a welcome change? Instead of eating your plants, a European lady beetle feeds on some of the pests that eat your plants. As a bonus, even ladybugs eat some of the garden pests as larvae.
In addition, a single ladybug can eat up to 5,000 aphids in its lifetime. Pests that you can feed ladybugs as food include: asparagus chicken (Crioceris asparagi, whose larvae and/or eggs ladybugs also eat), longhorn aphid (Myzus persicae), potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerell), and spider mites (Tetranychus urticae).
When and how can you use plants to attract ladybugs?
Some of the plants you will grow to provide breeding opportunities for ladybugs are annual or biennial varieties, while others are perennials. Gardeners usually buy the latter in a garden center. You can choose either annual or biennial plantsGrow seeds or as seedlingsget it from the garden store and plant it. In any case, the safest time to put them in the ground is in late spring, when danger of frost has passed.
Ladybugs are primarily attracted to pollen and nectar from the flowers of these plants. Therefore, you may only see results during the flowering period of these plants, although these flowering times may vary. If you buy a summer-flowering plant from a garden center in June, it may be blooming when you buy it, so it can immediately attract ladybugs. In contrast, a perennial such as tansy in the north only begins to bloom in mid-summer. However, if you grow a biennial plant from seed, it will only bloom in the second year. Although there are many plants that can attract ladybugs, there are edible plant varieties in the ornamental garden that can attract these beneficial insects to the ladybug larvae. Below you will find some of the most common plant varieties.
Suitable plant varieties for the beneficial insects
- Scented stone rich(Lobularia maritima) is usually an annual plant variety. This short, spreading plant grows 10 to 15 centimeters high and 15 to 23 centimeters wide. Also called Alyssum, this is a sun plant that likes good drainage but is easy to grow. The most popular are the varieties with white flowers, whose nectar is attractive to ladybugs.
- DieMilkweed(Asclepias tuberosa) is another option that also attracts ladybugs with its bright orange flowers. Garden coriander is also an annual herb and is particularly useful in recipes. You can grow it best in partial shade. This plant grows 6 to 10 centimeters high and 4 to 10 centimeters wide. Spiced coriander likes rich soil with good drainage and lightacidic soil pH.
- Thedill weed, also called cucumber herb, is a tall and thin plant that needs full sun. However, because it has a long taproot, you'll want to make sure you give this annual herb loose, well-drained soil. This should not prevent the taproot from anchoring itself deep beneath the soil surface. Not only is dill great for pickles, but it also adds great flavor to fish dishes and more.
- Dieleaf parsleyis another culinary herb, but this one is a biennial plant. It grows 30 to 46 centimeters high and 23 to 30 cm wide. Parsley is not picky about sunlight requirements. Anything from full sun to partial shade will do. The plant needs rich, evenly moist, well-drained garden soil.
Perennials that attract ladybugs
- TheRain fern or wormwood(Tanacetum vulgare) is 0.6 to 1.2 meters high and has a width of 30 to 45 centimeters. This yellow-flowering perennial likes full to partial sun and well-drained, fertile soil. This plant is not at all picky about soil pH, making it a very adaptable variety. However, note that it is considered a noxious weed in certain regions and should not be grown in conditions where it could spread.
- TheGirl's eye(Coreopsis) is a perennial that you can grow in full sun to partial shade and in soil that drains well. It grows to a height of 25 to 46 cm and a width of 30 to 60 cm. Its flowers are yellow, orange, pink and red, with some varieties being bicolor.
- Dieyarrow(Achillea millefolium) reaches a height of approximately 1 meter and a width of 0.6 meters. This is an aromatic perennial most prized for its airy, fern-like foliage and flat flower heads. Varieties come in colors (red, yellow, etc.) other than the white you see growing on roadsides. Like tansy, yarrow is not fussy to grow. It requires full sun and well-drained soil, but it also tolerates clay soil better than many plant varieties and is drought tolerant once established.
