Your garden can sometimes see the infestation of unwanted pests. Natural predators like ladybugs are your garden friends. They help control the population of these pests and insects in the garden.
Even indoors, they help maintain the population of these pests. Although these are not the only things ladybugs eat, let's see what else they eat to keep your garden and the surrounding environment healthy.
Ladybugs are usually found indoors in colder weather. While these insects do not infest the home, they are considered enemies of pests. So, let's see what the ladybugs eat indoors to help keep your home free from unwanted guests.
In general, they do not feed on plants. But soft fruits like strawberries or grapes, if they are overripe, are the best for them. The ladybug is attracted to the sweetness of these fruits.
For instance, the harlequin ladybug is famous for feeding on ripe grapes. These behaviors show that ladybugs eat a variety of foods, including vegetables and pests.
The tiny pests that feed on plant sap release a sugary substance called honeydew. This sticky, sweet liquid coats the leaves and stems, attracting insects.
Ladybugs are one of those insects that love this sugary treat. But they primarily consume sap-sucking insects, while honeydew is more like a sweet treat for them. On the other hand, this food helps them maintain a balanced diet.
The tall and slender cucumber is known to attract ladybugs. This is due to two factors: first, cucumbers are prone to pest infestations, and second, dill, a tiny yellow flower, is highly attractive to ladybugs.
The nectar and pollen from these flowers provide a food source for ladybugs. When you plant dill alongside cucumbers, you create a more diverse ecosystem that can support various beneficial insects.
Adult ladybugs are attracted to nectar, which provides an extra dose of nutrients. This additional food source is particularly important for their survival and reproductive success.
Flowers such as sweet alyssum and marigolds are especially attractive to ladybugs because they can easily access the nectar. Flat-topped flowers in white and yellow are also particularly effective at attracting these beneficial insects.
The pollen is proven to be a source of carbohydrates and proteins necessary for their energy.
Sometimes, ladybugs consume small amounts of water or dew. These ingredients help to keep them hydrated. Around their natural habitat, they can drink droplets of dew on plants or from their environment.
Hydration is crucial for their well-being, especially since they are primarily predators and obtain most of their nutrients from consuming pests.
Yet another source of nutrition for ladybugs is pollen. Ladybugs are attracted to various flowers that produce abundant pollen, as they contain carbohydrates and proteins. Besides, pollen consumption also helps ladybugs maintain a balanced diet.
At times when their primary sources are less abundant, eating pollen also provides the benefit of additional nutritional resources that flowers offer.
They are also known to feed on a variety of insect eggs and larvae, including pests such as the Colorado potato beetle and the European corn borer.
Colorado potato beetles and European corn borers are found on potato plants. Ladybugs eat their eggs and larvae.
After insect eggs, ladybugs may also feed on the caterpillars of some soft-bodied insects. These are not their primary diet but more like secondary food sources.
For instance, ladybugs may prey on the larvae of certain pests, such as cabbage loopers, which damage garden plants. This opportunistic feeding behavior allows ladybugs to help control pest populations beyond their primary targets.
Sometimes, bed bugs may be present in your home. These blood-feeding parasites infest human dwellings. Although ladybugs do not feed on bed bugs, they may occasionally consume bed bug eggs and adults if they come across them.
This is considered occasional eating, and ladybugs cannot be a reliable option for controlling the bed bug population.
The mites are pests found both indoors and outdoors. When it comes to indoors, there are particularly spider mites. These tiny arachnids infest houseplants as they feed on plant sap.
Both adult and larvae ladybugs can eat spider mites. Regardless of ladybugs thriving outdoors, they can be great friends for your indoor plants.
Ladybugs are mainly found in outdoor environments, so they likely feed on outdoor pests and insects. Let's see what their culinary tastes consist of in the outdoors.
One of the common pests is aphids. These are small and soft, with an oval structure and 1.8 inches in length. They are found in clusters of green, yellow, brown, and black colors, depending on the species and their development stage.
Aphids feed on indoor plants, causing yellowing leaves, wilting, and distorted growth. This makes them one of the primary targets for ladybugs. One ladybug is capable of eating up to 50-60 aphids per day and up to 5,000 aphids over its lifetime.
The whiteflies are small, winged insects that look like tiny white moths, around 1-2 mm in length. They come in white or pale yellow color and have a distinctive waxy appearance due to the powdery coating on their bodies and wings.
On the other hand, the adult whiteflies hold their wings vertically over their bodies when at rest. They feed on plant sap on the underside of the leaves. Ladybugs consume both the adult and immature stages of these whiteflies.
Another pest for ladybugs to thrive on is the mealybug. Mealybugs are small insects covered in a white, cottony wax. They range from 1 to 6 mm in length and are commonly found on the undersides of leaves and stems.
The adult females lay their eggs among the cottony egg sacs of mealybugs. Ladybugs, particularly the mealybug destroyer, consume mealybugs, with each larva capable of eating up to 250 mealybug larvae during its development.
The tiny, slender insects around 2 mm are thrips. Their cigar-shaped bodies appear in various colors, including yellow, brown, or black.
One of the common signs of their presence in plants is silvery discoloration due to their sucking of juices. Thrips are the second part of their diet, apart from other pests, and help in maintaining healthy gardens and crops.
Just like other sap-sucking pests, scale insects are a bit different. They often appear as tiny, rounded or oval-shaped bumps on leaves and stems, found in brown, white, or grey colours, depending on the species.
The wax coating of scale insects helps to make them look like scales. Scale insects are one of the favorite foods of ladybugs. A single ladybug can feed on around 50 eggs of scale insects.
Yet another species of mites is the red spider mite, which is very small, around 1 mm in size. They often appear yellowish-green with two dark spots on their backs for most of the year.
But in autumn and winter, they turn bright red. Both the eggs and larvae of the red spider mites are favorites of the ladybug.
After the list of pests, let's learn about another insect: the leafhopper. Leafhoppers are small, slender insects about 1/8 to 1/4 inch long. They have a definite wedge-shaped body and come in colors ranging from green to brown or even red.
Their wings are roof-like over their bodies, and they have long hind legs. Leafhoppers feed on plant sap using their piercing mouthparts, removing chlorophyll and causing symptoms such as yellowing or stippling of leaves.
The fungi are the white powdery covering of the leaves, stems, and flowers. This powdery growth is caused by mildew fungi that spread rapidly under favorable conditions.
Furthermore, these fungi cause leaves to become distorted, yellow, or stunted as they feed on plant tissues. There are no significant predators of mildew. Occasionally, ladybugs consume mildew, especially in the early stages.
While the behavior is seen in some insects and animals, it is a bit unusual. Some ladybug larvae can show cannibalistic behavior under certain conditions. During times of fewer food resources, ladybug larvae may consume their siblings for the survival of the fittest.
Cannibalism can be a survival strategy that helps reduce competition for limited food sources. Although this behavior might seem harsh, it is a natural adaptation that supports the health and effectiveness of the ladybug population.
Ladybugs exhibit fascinating feeding behaviors that vary depending on their life stage and available food resources.
In the larval stage, ladybugs are voracious predators. They focus on soft-bodied insects like mites and aphids. The ladybug in this stage has strong mandibles that grasp and tear apart its prey.
This stage is more like a hungry stage as it actively hunts and consumes large quantities of pests.
Their mandibles help them bite and subdue their prey before extracting the internal fluids. The intense feeding helps them grow rapidly and accumulate the energy for their transformation into adult ladybugs.
In the adult stage, there is a continuation of the role of a natural predator that eats several other pests. Adult ladybugs have both mandibles and a proboscis. They use their mandibles to grasp and pierce their prey.
At the same time, their proboscis helps them suck out the bodily fluids. Adults are efficient hunters and use their keen sense of smell to locate aphid colonies and other food sources.
On the other hand, compared to larvae, aphids' feeding behavior is often more methodical. They consume up to 50-60 aphids per day, followed by nectar and pollen. This diverse diet supports their health for effective natural pest controllers.
They have a simple digestive system that suits their carnivorous diet. Their digestive tract is divided into three main sections: the foregut, midgut, and hindgut. The foregut consists of the mouth, oesophagus, and crop, which are the initial parts for processing food.
When ladybugs consume their prey, their strong mandibles first tear the prey apart. The partially digested food is then stored in the crop, where it breaks down further.
The midgut consists of the stomach and intestine. In this part, the majority of digestion and nutrient absorption occur. Enzymes in the midgut break down the food into absorbable nutrients. Finally, the hindgut processes the remaining waste products, with the rectum and anus expelling undigested material.
Ladybugs also have a very fascinating way of feeding that contributes to their role as natural pest controllers.
The first of their behaviors is active hunting. They are known to be natural predators. They actively search for food rather than waiting for prey to come to them. Moreover, they are active during the day and search for their food during this time, which makes them diurnal feeders.
Then, there is the use of their sensory organs. Ladybugs have a highly developed olfactory system that allows them to detect the chemical signals released by aphids and other soft-bodied insects. This ability helps them locate aphid infestations from a distance.
On the other hand, their compound eyes provide a wide field of vision, enabling them to spot potential prey while navigating their environment.
These insects visit plants to observe the signs of pests, leaving behind sticky honeydew. They also move systematically across plants, inspecting the undersides of leaves and other areas where aphids are found.
When they find suitable prey, ladybugs use their mandibles to tear apart and grasp the prey. Their strong mandibles are sharp and curved, allowing them to pierce the exoskeleton of their prey effectively.
After immobilizing the prey, ladybugs insert their proboscis to suck out the insides. This method of feeding allows them to consume the nutrient-rich body fluids of their prey while leaving behind the exoskeleton.
When it comes to ladybugs, their diet consists of pests known for their voracious appetite. Both the adult and larvae stages are effective in their role as predators,
The larvae target pests like mealybugs, whiteflies, and spider mites. At the same time, the older ones eat aphids and other pests, enhancing their role in pest management.
Since it is well-known that ladybugs are natural pest controllers, mainly because they feed on aphids and other soft-bodied pests that damage plants, attracting them to your garden can be highly beneficial.
To attract ladybugs, follow these tips and create a suitable environment to meet their dietary needs:
As previously said, ladybugs drink and immerse in small drops of water. These are required for their hydration and survival. To welcome them, you should have a suitable water resource in your garden. You can place shallow water bowls around your garden.
Please remember that these are not deep to avoid the risk of drowning. Yet another effective method is to place damp paper towels in different locations within your garden.
The moisture of the paper towels gives them safe access to water, and they will also help them remain hydrated to support their role as natural predators.
Incorporate low-growing plants such as thyme or oregano into your garden to create a simple shelter for ladybugs. These plants provide a natural cover environment for ladybugs.
In addition to that, you can build a ladybug house using a small wooden box filled with pieces of wood or bamboo. To attract ladybugs to the house, place a small amount of sugar water inside.
The setup offers a cozy and inviting atmosphere, encouraging them to take up residence and support their role as beneficial insects in your garden.
Pesticides are one of the enemies of ladybugs despite their benefits for gardens. To welcome these natural predators, it’s best to avoid using pesticides whenever possible.
Although, if you must use them, choose targeted options that selectively address specific pests without harming ladybugs or other beneficial insects. This approach helps support the natural pest control provided by ladybugs and maintains a healthy garden ecosystem.
