Ladybugs in the Garden - Helper or Pest?

In short: Most ladybirds are helpers, not pests. One adult eats up to 150 aphids a day and a single larva up to 800 during its development. The common seven-spot ladybird measures 5-9 mm and hunts aphids on flowers and vegetables. The exception is the invasive Asian lady beetle, which suppresses native species.

Ladybird - Helper or Pest?

Seven-spot ladybird (lat. Coccinella septempunctata) - also called ladybug or ladybird beetle, is perhaps the most well-known beetle of all. It belongs to the ladybird family (lat. Coccinellidae). This is the most common Central European species, measuring 5-9 mm. It feeds on aphids living on flowers, vegetables, and wild-growing plants. It does not occur on trees. The seven-spot ladybird is a tireless aphid hunter and a great helper in eliminating them in your garden.

Ladybirds - are distributed worldwide. Around 100 species occur in Europe, and approximately 4,000 species worldwide. Most ladybirds live in subtropical and tropical areas. Heat is also needed by our common ladybird, which thrives better in warmth - heat makes them more lively, faster and happier. In cold weather, the ladybird's activity slows down. The number of spots on ladybirds indicates the species of ladybird, not the age of the ladybird, as is sometimes incorrectly stated. Two-spot ladybird (lat. Adalia bipunctata) - has two spots on its wing cases, most commonly feeds on aphids on woody plants and elder. Ten-spot ladybird (lat. Adalia decempunctata) - has dark brown wing cases, with five spots in the form of dots on each, occurs most often in meadows and on deciduous trees. Fourteen-spot ladybird (lat. Propylea quatuordecimpunctata) - exists in more than one hundred forms and various colour mutations, has red and yellow wing cases, spots are arranged in a checkerboard pattern. It feeds on various species of aphids. Eyed ladybird (lat. Anatis ocellata) - is large, 8-10 mm, has yellow-red wing cases with twenty dark spots with a light border. It lives primarily in forests on pine trees, but also on woody plants in gardens.

Other Species of Ladybirds

Australian ladybird (lat. Rodolia cardinalis) - was successfully used for controlling scale insects on citrus trees as early as 1888. Twenty-two-spot ladybird (lat. Thea vigintiduopunctata) - is a lemon-coloured beetle with twenty-two spots. This ladybird doesn't feed on aphids, but on powdery mildew on woody plants, meadows and vineyards. Clitostethus arcuatus - is a brown hairy ladybird. On its wing cases it has two parallel dark spots with a light border. This ladybird specialises in feeding on whiteflies. Neomysia oblongoguttata - is a 7-9 mm large ladybird with black wing cases featuring numerous yellowish spots. It feeds mainly on aphids on coniferous trees. Synharmonia conglobata - is a 5 mm large ladybird with pink to red wing cases with eight black angular spots. It feeds on leaf aphids on fruit trees and poplars. Chilocorus bipustulatus and Chilocorus renipustulatus - reach a size of 4-6 mm, both species are brilliantly black. Adult beetles and larvae feed on leaf aphids and scale insects. Scymnus suturalis and Scymnus subvillosus - are dark brown to black, hairy ladybirds. They feed mainly on aphids occurring on pines and coniferous trees. Stethorus punctillum - is a small 1.5 mm ladybird. It has black finely hairy wing cases, yellow legs and antennae. It lives on fruit trees and feeds on spider mites. This tiny beetle and its larvae can consume up to 100 mites of all developmental stages daily. It's highly mobile and lays eggs at various infestation sites. It works excellently against spider mites on peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, but also on ornamental and fruit species.

Most ladybird species are beneficial for growers and their gardens. In spring we find ladybirds in flower beds, where they feed on aphids. If you want to keep ladybirds, avoid using chemical sprays. The ladybird is a natural eliminator of aphids on plants. If you preserve ladybirds, you ensure ecological elimination of these pests in harmony with nature. Ladybirds lay their larvae near plants infested with aphids and scale insects. This way the hatched larvae can find food more easily. Most ladybirds living in our regions feed on various species of leaf aphids. Some species on whiteflies and spider mites. Only a narrow group of species feeds on fungi and food of animal origin. Ladybirds also consume plant pollen alongside this food.

Fourteen-spot ladybird feeding on aphids:

Asian Lady Beetle - (Latin: Harmonia axyridis) - this ladybug is also a fighter against aphids, but it has no natural enemy in nature. It has now spread to Europe as well. In large cities, it settles in the windows of apartment buildings, where it overwinters. This ladybug is a source of allergies. Its bite resembles an ant bite. When flying into apartments, it searches for a place to overwinter, but it doesn't hibernate because it's warm in the apartments. The ladybug remains active, runs out of energy and fat reserves, and therefore also bites people. The common ladybug doesn't attack humans and its bite is barely noticeable. In Britain, it's classified as a superpredator. To control its overpopulation, special mites are being developed that parasitize the ladybug and reduce its fertility. The Asian lady beetle reproduces five times a year. It's considered an invasive species that suppresses native species. Its overpopulation brings ecological and evolutionary consequences.

Reproduction

The ladybug reproduces only when there's sufficient food available. The female places great emphasis on the complete and successful development of eggs. The ladybug lays eggs on the undersides of leaves - in clusters of up to 400 oval eggs in smaller groups of 10-30 pieces. Eggs are usually laid near aphid colonies. Species that feed on scale insects lay only one to two eggs under the protective shell of these pests. Larvae hatch from eggs after seven to ten days. They have an elongated, darkly colored body and undergo four to five developmental stages. During this period, they need to devour hundreds of aphids for their development. After three to six weeks, the larvae pupate on leaves or tree trunks. Pupae are oval and look slightly shriveled. They are colored red. After four to nine days, yellow-colored beetles hatch with not yet developed patterns. The complete development of a ladybug takes one to three months, depending on the species and conditions.

The ladybug plays dead when faced with predators and falls limply to the ground. It secretes a yellow liquid that is poisonous and distasteful, for example, even to birds. The larvae and pupae are similarly poisonous.

Ladybugs live for two years. Young hatched ladybugs overwinter, then reproduce, and their life ends in spring or summer.

How to Keep Ladybugs in Your Garden?

You need to give up using all chemical products. Ladybugs need aphids to survive, which you would otherwise kill. A ladybug eats up to 150 aphids per day. A single larva consumes up to 800 aphids during its development. It's therefore up to you whether you prefer chemical spraying or allow this beetle to show what it can do and protect your plants in harmony with the environment.