Ladybirds

[georgiesgirl]

Last Autumn,I did not tidy my garden. No annuals cleared, old flower heads removed etc; getting on with the job this spring i have found many ladybirds in and around these sites i normally clear.
I am now wondering if i should make it normal practise to leave garden tidy up till Spring, to assist ladybirds and other wildlife.
The reason i ask is that it is only a couple of years ago that ladybirds were non existent in my garden during the summer months.
Not very knowledgeable about ladybirds habitat etc; but would be interested about what others think.
Anne

[kenkew]

Not a bad idea to leave a pile of something for goodies and baddies. No baddies = no goodies?
...and I know what this ladybird is thinking!

[Mrs Ava]

I am not a tidy gardener Anne, not for want of trying, but time is always against me, and I do like the look of some of the plants as they die back and go crispy, plus somethings I want to set seed.  We have masses of ladybirds in our garden, more than I have ever known and in spring they smother the leaves of all my geraniums in my woodland area.  We have bees sleeping the winter off in old bamboos, we have starlings nesting in our roof, we have frogs and no pond....and we have lots of lovely plants seeding themselves all over the place.  Of course, because we have all of this plant life, we have slugs and snails, no puppy dogs tails tho, but I figure it is all in the balance.  We have a lovely fat lady thrush who takes great pleasure in smashing the snails to pieces on our path and wee birdies gobbling up all the little beasts and bugs.  As I said, I think it is all in the balance, tidy, but not a jungle.....tidy, but not sterile.  Wittering over now.  

[Mrs Ava]

Ken, they look more like those ruby red lilly beetles to me.

[tim]

KK - a subject for 'Watershed' I feel?? = Tim

[kenkew]

Ken, they look more like those ruby red lilly beetles to me.

After zooming in with book in hand I see they are less like ladybirds and more like Endmychus coccineus...the antennae are longer than the ladybirds'. A point to you.

[aquilegia]

Part of my lazy, I mean natural, gardening method includes leaving old plants for bugs to hide in over winter. I don't clear up dead leaves, etc either.

You can also grow a small patch of stinging nettles as ladybirds (as well as butterflies) lay their eggs on them.

I need to get some nettles as I'm desperately short of ladybirds!

If you are worried this untidiness/naturalness may attract slugs and snails, leave upturned pots around, slugs and snails will hibernate in them and then you can get rid of the lot at once.

[eileen]

Great tips there Aqui!!!  

Never thought to do that with pots.  

Thanks.

Eileen.

[gavin]

Don't squash/squidge ladybird larvae!  (Yup, I did! - they look so ugly and poisonous!)



Lots more info on Ladybirds on http://www.ladybird-survey.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

All best - Gavin

[Doris_Pinks]

But Ken, please squish your lily beetles! (their larvae are GROSS, looks like bird pooh!) DP  (oh and hold your hand UNDER them, as the little loves tend to see something coming and fall down immediately!)

[kenkew]

They make darned good jam.

[Doris_Pinks]

Hmmm lily beetle jam.........or how about dipped in chocolate?!!

[john_miller]

If, like me, you are too slow to catch them, neem based products are recommended as an effective organic spray.

[Beer_Belly]

I try and leave some scruffy areas for wildlife (well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it   )  I also built a ladybird hotel and hung it in my plum tree in attempt to prevent the aphid plague I had on it last year.

-B_B-

[budgiebreeder]

Do tell us more BB.What does a Ladybird hotel look like and how to go about building one.

[Beer_Belly]

I can't remember the site I got it from but all I did was cut the bottom off an empty 2 litre cider bottle (with the lid still on)
Stuffed it with rolled-up corrugated cardboard
Hung it in my plum tree with some wire.

It essentially gives the ladybirds and lacewings lots of nooks and crannies to hibernate in overwinter in a sheltered place. The theory is that they'll emerge in Spring exactly where you want them.

-B_B-

[Ragged Robin]

Happy to say squished my first lily beetle of the year on Tuesday.........even better I was at work and it wasn't in my garden.

So keep your eyes open....they're waking up!

[Mrs Ava]

 :'(B*gger, here come the plague of vine weevils then  

[Tenuse]

I had no ladybirds until I bought some through the post!

Now I leave the garden a little untidy so that they can survive. I have seen a few waking up so they will hopefully be eating all those lovely aphids a bit earlier this year :-)

Ten x