We loved it when the ladybugs arrived in the spring, feasting on aphids and helping our rose garden thrive. But where do they go in the winter? See the video below.
From National Geographic: “There are about 5,000 different species of ladybugs in the world. These much loved critters are also known as lady beetles or ladybird beetles. They come in many different colors and patterns, but the most familiar in North America is the seven-spotted ladybug, with its shiny, red-and-black body. In many cultures, ladybugs are considered good luck.
“Most people like them because they are pretty, graceful, and harmless to humans. But farmers love them because they eat aphids and other plant-eating pests. One ladybug can eat up to 5,000 insects in its lifetime!”
Homegrown Ladybugs
The house we moved from seven years ago was begun by the Larsen family in 1916. As their family grew, they added downstairs rooms, a second story, a basement, and flowering shrubs everywhere. We bought the house from its second owners in August of 1987, and in the spring, we discovered the ladybugs. The first one appeared inside the upstairs bathroom window. Soon there were several in our bedroom, one or two downstairs, and eventually many scavenging for aphids in the garden.
Our neighbor down the lane explained: Mrs. Larsen, an avid gardener, had ordered a box of ladybugs to keep down the aphids. She opened the box by the rhodies and hydrangeas, and expected the little bugs to dive into a feast. Instead, they rose in a swarm and flew down across the lane to settle into another, larger garden. But some stragglers must have stayed behind, nesting in the shingles, because spring always announces itself with the first ladybug on the bathroom window. Now they greet our children, who had pestered us until we moved into Skyline, because they wanted the house and garden. And the ladybug bonus.
Great story, thanks.