LADYBIRD AND APHID: TYPES AND EXAMPLES OF RELATIONSHIPS, AS WELL AS HOW MANY PESTS DOES THE LARVA AND ADULT COCCINELLIDAE EAT AND HOW DOES IT HELP GARDENERS?

Gardeners and gardeners in the warm season are fascinated by the flowering and green landscapes of their possessions. But what to do if the integrity of the shoots or leaves is broken and the plants cannot develop normally? Usually the cause of this problem is aphid.

How to behave an amateur, noticing such a regrettable incident? How to get rid of it? About the fight against these parasites and will be discussed in this article, namely: which beetle will help and how it to the site.

Dangerous pest lifestyle

Aphid or Aphidoidea is a whole insect superfamily from the order Hemiptera. These are small insect pests ranging in size from 0.35 mm to 0.8 mm.

Their body is either transparent, or acquires the color of the consumed plant. All aphids feed on plant sap, destroy their foliage, hinder its growth and development, and can infect a plant with a virus that will destroy it (you can learn more about what aphids feed on in nature here).

In addition, aphids are divided into winged and wingless. Aphids multiply very quickly and live in large colonies. The warm and humid climate is most acceptable for them, only in it they successfully multiply. Aphids feed on young shoots and green leaves. Their favorite shoots are viburnum, linden and plum.

Traces of their activity are adored by ants. They are ready to faithfully follow and protect their supplier of delicacy. To protect from winter frosts in your home, an anthill, or from an attack from the side of the ladybirds and gold-eyed. You can learn more about the symbiosis of ants and aphids here.

Beetle helping gardeners

Ladybird or Coccinellidae - a representative of the family of beetles, the main components of the diet which are aphids. In search of food, ladybirds migrate for the winter and return in spring. In some way they are migratory insects. They engage in the extermination of aphids from spring to late autumn. After that, lay eggs near the aphid colony.

Somewhere from 14 ⁰From the ladybirds flooded meadows, fields and other blooming and smelling lands. The most pleasant for cows are alfalfa and barley fields. So attractive are these areas for Coccinellidae due to the fact that they are extremely attractive to the main feeding unit of the cows, namely aphids.

At the larval stage, a ladybug consumes about a thousand units of aphids. In its adult state, an individual eats two hundred bugs. Thus, the ladybug is the best friend of the land, as a dog is the best friend of man.

Interaction type

Larvae of coccinellidae and parasite

The relationship between a ladybug and aphids begins as early as the larval stage of Coccinellidae. The life cycle of a cow starts at the beginning of spring, in March-April. For three weeks the larva feeds abundantly on insects of aphids, eating about one thousand insects of aphids each. When the larva is sufficiently saturated and ready for the next stage of transformation, it will make its cocoon. One week the larva ripens in a cocoon and reaches a certain level of maturity. Only after that the ladybird beetle is born.

Adult and Aphidoidea

Having formed into an adult, the Ladybug eats up to two hundred units of aphids of aphids per day. And she does it from spring to autumn. Almost the entire daily routine of the beetle is tied to the search and eating of aphids. When a ladybug does not detect an object of desire, it can eat a shield, a whitefly or a spider mite. Ladybird is considered an industrial device for the destruction of aphids and similar pests. There is a practice of spreading cows by dropping them from airplanes onto the fields.

Before harvest, cows feed on aphids and other insects., saturating to lay eggs. Thus, in the period of active growth and development of the plant, the Ladybug protects it from pests. For the winter, these insects climb into the mountains, hide in the crevices of stones, cracks in the bark of trees and remain there until early spring.

How to attract a good insect?

In addition to aphids and insects, ladybugs also eat pollen. And the pollen of some plants is preferable to them than the pollen of others. Examples of herbs that can be planted on a plot to attract beetles are:

Calendula - perennial herbaceous plant. It grows well in bright sunshine. Blooms with a lush bright orange palette. Lures the ladybirds.
Dill - unpretentious green and extremely effective in attracting beetles plant. Widespread spice.
Cornflowers - a perennial plant, well attracting the ladybirds.
Coriander - a wonderful spice, alluring beetles in the period of flowering and growth.
Geranium - This unpretentious plant will also help you to attract the ladybirds.
Tansy - ornamental and quite useful plant in our subject.
Dandelion - surprisingly, but so familiar to us grassy, is also extremely effective in exterminating aphids.
Cosmea - this amazing flower can be not only a wonderful decoration of the garden, but also a no less pleasing protector.
Yarrow - one of the favorite of God's ladybug plants.
Mint - This herbal tea will help you at dinner and provide a full dinner Coccinellidae.
Fennel - This is a medicinal plant that requires fertile soil and warmth, but it is more than paying for these efforts with a good immigration rate of a ladybug into your territory.
The succession - the sun-loving decoration of your garden will also serve as an excellent bait for beetles. Among the garden herbs, this flower will stand as a beacon for cows.

If you want your vegetation to be chosen by the ladybirds, then:

Do not use insecticides at all. These tools affect both harmful and beneficial insects. And hold on for a long time after application.
Also, you can buy or carry bugs from shops or other lands, of course, with the permission of the owner of cows.
More can be used ferramonovye bait. They also show themselves as an effective event in attracting the ladybirds. It is preferable to combine it with the first advice on planting certain varieties of plants in your area.

The reader may be other useful information on our website about other ways of dealing with aphids:

Folk remedies to combat aphids.
How to get rid of aphids on orchids at home?
How to get rid of aphids on pepper?
Who eats aphids, and what else is used for destruction?
What to do if aphids started on your favorite roses?
How is the struggle with aphids on fruit trees?
How to deal with pest on cucumbers?
How to deal with aphids on indoor plants and win?
How to effectively deal with aphids on currants?
How to deal with white aphids on indoor and garden plants?

Conclusion

Aphids can be a serious threat to your household. And to protect the vegetation from this pest, without resorting to chemicals, is not so difficult. Nature herself invented a mechanism that ensures the maintenance of a plant population.

The best natural way to protect will be to attract the ladybirds. A simple, elegant and effective solution to the problem of pests.