Ladybirds are a favourite visitor to gardens and backyards – with their cute spots and good luck omen, they’re a bug that’s always welcome.
Ladybugs aren’t just pretty to watch – they’re also meat eaters, which means they like to feast on plant-damaging insects. In fact, as soon as ladybirds hatch, they begin to eat. They love to munch on all the worst garden pests, including aphids, fruit flies, mites, psyllids and mealybugs.
Whether you just want these buzzy insects for a spot of good luck, or to protect your precious vegies, there are a couple of ways to attract them to the garden:
1. Attract ladybugs with plants
The number one way to attract ladybugs to your yard is to grow the right plants. Ladybugs love herbs like coriander, fennel and dill. Some ladybugs also like to feed on nectar, so planting flowers like cosmos and marigolds can provide food and shelter for them. Ladybirds love the following plants:
- Dill
- Fennel
- Coriander
- Marigold
- Cosmos
- Yarrow
- Calendula
- Sunflower
- Angelica
- Sweet Alyssum
- Geraniums
- Dandelions
- Nettles
Avoid insecticides
Insecticides and chemicals, including low-toxic or environmentally friendly options, are harmful to ladybugs. If you are trying to attract them to your plants, make sure not to spray anything on them.
Be wary of the 28-spotted ladybird
There are 4 common types of ladybugs that you’ll find in Aussie backyards – 3 are great for pest-protection, but 1 is a pest itself. The 28-spotted ladybug loves feasting on tomatoes, potatoes and other plants from the Solanaceae family.
2. Install a ladybug hotel
Give ladybugs a place to call home in your garden! You are giving your garden a natural boost by providing habitat or bug hotels. Build a simple house with compartments from timber and mount it on a post or fence. Materials such as bamboo sticks and cored bricks are used to attract the insects and give them places to nest over winter. A ladybug hotel is similar to that of a native bee hotel, but instead of hollowed out sticks, twigs and leaves are perfect for your spotty friends.
3. Purchase ladybugs
If all else fails, you can purchase ladybugs and release them straight into your garden. Make sure to use trusted online retailers or shops that use Australian ladybugs.
When releasing ladybugs in your garden, it’s recommended that you place them in the fridge for a few hours to slow them down. This is so they don’t fly out of your garden as soon as you release them.
Make sure there’s a water source (spray the plant leaves or leave shallow saucers of water) and plenty of bugs, like an aphid-infested plant, for them to feast on. You want your ladybugs to think your garden is the bees-knees. The best time to release lady beetles is at dusk or early evening.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
