Don’t Buy Ladybugs: Learn How to Attract Them Instead
If you’ve ever battled aphids, you’ve probably heard that ladybugs are one of the best natural solutions. Because of that, many gardeners are tempted to buy and release ladybugs in their gardens. It sounds like a simple fix—but in most cases, it doesn’t work as well as you’d hope.
Over the years, I’ve learned that the best way to have more ladybugs in the garden is to make your garden a place they want to stay. In this article, I’ll explain why buying ladybugs isn’t usually the answer and share practical ways to attract and support healthy ladybug populations naturally.
Key Takeaways: How to Attract Ladybugs
- Don’t buy ladybugs as a quick fix for pest control; they often don’t stay in the garden and can harm native species.
- Commercial harvesting raises ethical concerns and can disrupt local ecosystems by removing ladybugs from their natural habitat.
- Ladybug larvae are more effective at controlling pests than adults, as they consume significantly more aphids.
- Instead of purchasing, create a welcoming environment by growing diverse plants, avoiding pesticides, and allowing some pests to remain.
- Encouraging ladybugs to stay naturally is more sustainable and beneficial for your garden’s ecosystem.
Article Outline:
In my garden, observing ladybugs has become a source of endless fascination. Watching all stages of their life cycle on flowering parsley, dill, and cilantro—witnessing larvae hatch out of eggs and pointing out the different stages to garden visitors—is magical. The arrival of ladybugs on aphid-infested roses or sunflowers is profoundly gratifying. Their presence is a vivid reminder of nature’s marvels and the intricate balance of ecosystems.
For a much deeper look at every lifecycle stage—eggs, larvae, pupa, and adult—including what each one looks like and how to recognize them, see Ladybugs in the Garden: Lifecycle and How to Attract Them.
It’s no wonder many home gardeners consider buying these cheerful beetles. However, you should think twice before purchasing a tub of ladybugs to bring home as a quick fix for pest control. Purchased ladybugs will probably not solve your pest problem and could do more harm than good. Let’s discuss why buying ladybugs is a bad idea and, instead, learn how to attract ladybugs to come to your garden naturally.
5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Buy Ladybugs For Your Garden
1. Ladybug Harvesting Practices are Questionable
The commercial harvesting of ladybugs often raises ethical concerns. Most ladybugs sold at local garden centers are convergent ladybugs (Hippodamia convergens), which are frequently harvested in the wild and shipped all over the country.1
2. Removal is Disruptive to the Native Environment
When ladybugs are removed from their natural environment, the delicate balance of that ecosystem can be disturbed. Collecting them not only disturbs wild populations but may spread diseases to the native ladybug species in your garden. The wild collection of ladybugs may have unforeseen adverse effects on the ladybugs themselves and the broader environment.1
In this guide, discover the benefits of insect hotels and learn how to effectively use them in your garden to attract beneficial bees and lacewings.
3. Purchased Ladybugs are Usually in the Adult Stage
Ladybugs sold for gardens are typically adults. The adult stage is the least effective stage for pest control. Adults often consume up to 50 aphids per day, but ladybug larvae are voracious eaters and will consume 200-300. 2
4. Introduced Ladybugs Often Fly Away
There’s no guarantee they will stay in your garden once released. Ladybugs are often disoriented or scared after being collected, stuck in deep freezes, and shipped to your local garden center or home. Instead of using their energy to reproduce, they often fly away and die.
5. Purchased Ladybugs Could Include Invasive Varieties
There’s also the risk of introducing invasive species of ladybugs to your area. Asian lady beetles may be mixed in. Introduced beetles often become the dominant species and may consume native ladybugs. 3
6 Ways To Attract Ladybugs To Your Garden Naturally
Rather than buying ladybugs, there are better ways to attract these beneficial insects to your garden.
1. Stop Using Pesticides
Pesticides kill not only pests but also beneficial insects that prey on them. By avoiding these chemicals, you make your garden a safer place for ladybugs.
2. Use Organic Options Infrequently and With a Light Hand
If you must use pest control, opt for organic solutions and apply them sparingly. This approach helps preserve beneficial insects while managing pests. Avoid neem oil, which can interrupt bugs’ biological processes and is not good for beneficial insects.
3. Attract Ladybugs by Planting a Variety of Vegetables, Herbs, and Flowers
Planting a wide range of plants in your garden will attract ladybugs. One simple way to increase biodiversity is to plant a flower and an herb in each bed or area of your garden. Plants attractive to ladybugs include anise, chamomile, cosmos, daisies, feverfew, lovage, and yellow coneflower. 3 They also like companion plants like calendula, alyssum, and marigolds. (Click on the names for seeds and growing information.)
4. Allow Herbs to Bolt and Flower to Attract Ladybugs
When herbs are allowed to flower, they become irresistible to ladybugs. The flowers provide nectar and pollen, essential food sources for adult beetles to survive and reproduce.3 Cilantro, dill, parsley, and fennel are favorite choices for adult ladybugs.
Looking to add pollinator-friendly blooms to your garden this season? Don’t miss Planting for Pollinators: Create a Simple Insectary Border in Your Garden.
5. Don’t Eliminate All Pests From Your Garden to Attract Ladybugs
While it seems counterintuitive, maintaining a small population of pests can be beneficial. It ensures that ladybugs have a steady food source. Don’t be too quick to spray off aphids or remove pests. Instead, wait and watch. More than likely, the beneficial insects, including ladybugs, will arrive.
The list of pests that ladybugs consume is long and includes aphids, asparagus beetle larvae, caterpillar eggs, young caterpillars, Colorado potato beetle larvae, corn earworms, lace bugs, whiteflies, spider mites, and mealy bugs. 3
Ladybugs are one of the best aphid predators once they show up. Here’s how I handle aphids while I wait for the helpers: How to Get Rid of Aphids. And if you’re dealing with an active whitefly problem, start with this guide. Once you start focusing on habitat and the predator-prey cycle, it is easier to handle pests like thrips without reaching for harsh sprays. Learn how to get rid of thrips here.
6. Having Areas of Your Garden That Grow a Little Wild Will Attract Ladybugs
Ladybugs thrive in untamed environments. Allowing parts of your garden to grow wild provides shelter and breeding grounds. Plants such as dandelions, yarrows, and wild carrots will attract them to these areas.4 The results are cumulative and not instantaneous. The untamed area can be as large or small as your garden space allows.
Ladybugs often hibernate or overwinter in hollow stems, so leaving old stems in place gives them a reason to stay in your yard.
The best sign that ladybugs have decided to stay in your garden is finding their eggs. This guide to identifying beneficial insect eggs shows you what ladybug eggs look like alongside four other beneficials worth knowing.
A Look to the Future of Beneficial Insects as Pest Control
While buying ladybugs might not be the best current practice for enhancing your garden’s ecology, there’s hope on the horizon. There is future potential for introducing two-spotted ladybugs in the larval stage. This could offer a more sustainable way to benefit from these incredible insects.
For now, instead of ladybugs, you may consider introducing other beneficial insects through programs like the Beneficial Insect Subscription from Heirloom Roses. This augementave biological control may provide an effective and eco-friendly solution to pest control challenges.
In conclusion, while buying ladybugs for immediate pest control is tempting, encouraging them to visit and stay in your garden naturally is a more effective, sustainable, and magical experience.
By fostering an environment that’s inviting to ladybugs, you’re aiding in pest control and contributing to the health of your local ecosystem without the unintended consequences that may come from buying ladybugs.
References and Further Reading
- Plant Partners, Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden, Jessica Walliser.
- “Lady Beetles” – Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. A comprehensive guide on ladybug species, their roles in the ecosystem, and the consequences of importing non-native species
- Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden, A Natural Approach to Pest Control, Jessica Walliser.
- The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control, A Rodale Organic Gardening Book. Edited by Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara W. Ellis, and Deborah L. Martin.
Ready to dive deeper into gardening with pests? I cover this and much more inside Growing in the Garden Academy, where I teach monthly gardening classes and share real-time updates from my Arizona garden. Join us on Patreon to start learning today and don’t forget to check out my class tailored specifically to this topic: Organic Pest Control: Identify Insects and Beneficials.
If this post about buying or attracting ladybugs for your garden was helpful, please share it:
Leave a comment on Don’t Buy Ladybugs: Learn How to Attract Them Instead