Ladybugs are the most popular way to control aphids and other soft bodied insects, including scales, mealy bugs, leaf hoppers, and mites. A single adult Ladybug can consume 200 aphids per day. Her larvae can destroy 100 per day. Release them in the evening in an area where they can find food immediately. Lightly sprinkle water in the area beforehand. Ladybugs, also called lady beetles or ladybird beetles, are a very beneficial group of insects. Lady beetles are natural enemies of many insect pests and it has been demonstrated that a single lady beetle may consume as many as 5,000 aphids in its lifetime.
Lady beetle adults have a very characteristic convex, hemispherical to oval body shape. The head is covered by a hood called the pronotum. Many species of lady beetles are present in most habitats across North America and Europe. They may be white, yellow, pink, orange, red or black, and usually have spots. In fact, this is a type of warning coloration to other animals that may try to eat lady beetles. Like many of other brightly-colored insects, ladybugs are distasteful to predators. When disturbed, they may secrete an odorous, distasteful fluid out of their joints to discourage enemies.
Adult females usually lay their clusters of eggs in the vicinity of aphid, scale, or mealybug colonies. The alligator-like larvae are also predators. They are spiny and black with bright spots. Although they look dangerous, lady beetle larvae are quite harmless to humans. After feeding on insect prey for several weeks, the larva pupates on leaves. Adults tend to move on once pests get scarce, while the larvae remain and search for more prey.
