Bug identification - Ask Extension
I was trimming a bush after flowering and all these bugs were coming off of it in the yard debris bin and I want to know if they are a gardener’s fr...
Knowledgebase
Bug identification #873719
Asked June 18, 2024, 8:55 PM EDT
I was trimming a bush after flowering and all these bugs were coming off of it in the yard debris bin and I want to know if they are a gardener’s friend or foe. It’s about the length of a thumbnail and 3/16”wide.
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi and thanks for your beautiful picture of a ladybug larvae. They are one of a gardener's best friends and actually eat more aphids and white flies and other pests than in their cute adult form! They will eat their fill and then pupate on a leaf before re-forming themselves into the more familiar form we all know and love. Here is a picture of the stages of life for them and you are so lucky to have so many of them in your garden!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/ladybuglifecycle-for-context-only<personal data hidden>9134270/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/ladybuglifecycle-for-context-only<personal data hidden>9134270/