5 ms·

Anyone who tells you ladybugs are terrible is probably just an aphid posing as a human to spread propaganda.

eitland 7y ago
To add something interesting to the story, just one data point aka anecdote though: 8 years or so ago we got a aphid attack on my plum tree that I killed off with spray (systemic. IIRC, so it would kill of those bugs even when it didn't hit them directly.) A couple of years later the aphids where back and I wouldn't spray it again so I started looking for alternatives. One thing I figured out was I had also a ant problem in the same tree, so I got rid of those and that helped quite a bit but had to be repeated from time to time. A couple of years later ladybugs started to show up and this year I counted 6. Considering each of them can eat 100 aphids a day or so they are very welcome :-) A few possible explanations, won't go into rating them: - maybe it was all random - maybe ladybugs are more sensitive to insect spray than aphids are (would make sense since they prey on aphids and systemic insecticides could/would accumulate up in the food chain.) - maybe the ant colony had been keeping the ladybugs away the first year the aphids attacked (I don't know but it is widely known that ants and aphids often form a symbiotic relationship so it wouldn't surprise me a bit if they also defended their source of yummy sugar.) - maybe my plum tree was just to small to pick up a collection of ladybugs the first year. - or maybe a combination.
- ajmurmann 7y ago
  From totally unscientific observations I made as a young child: the ants actually deploy and protect the aphids like cattle. I remember seeing ants literally carry ladybugs away from the aphids.
  - eitland 7y ago
    Wish I was that patient when I was young :-) Meanwhile I've been looking around and while most of the results here aren't scientific studies they still support our observations: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=ants+aphids+relationship&t=fpas&ia=web https://duckduckgo.com/?q=ants+aphids+relationship&t=fpas&ia...
  - lelf 7y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid#Ant_mutualism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid#Ant_mutualism
  - onorton 7y ago
    I remember reading that in a book when I was about 6 or 7 and it turned my childhood obsession of dinosaurs into one of ants.
  - dillonmckay 7y ago
    Same with fingernail or toenail clippings.
- taneq 7y ago
  I pruned my roses a few years ago and within minutes the cut stems were seething with aphids. I tried to get rid of them with some mild bug spray (iirc it was pyrethrum or similar) but they just ignored it, and I needn't have bothered because within half an hour there were dozens of ladybugs eating the aphids. It was amazing how fast both species homed in on their respective targets.
- seedie 7y ago
  Harmonia axyridis were imported to nothern america and europe for this reason https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonia_axyridis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonia_axyridis and yes ants protect their cattle from ladybugs
naikrovek 7y ago
They bite, though. They bite me, anyway. Well, I guess I am assuming it's a bite, because whatever it is they do on my skin, it hurts.

To add something interesting to the story, just one data point aka anecdote though: 8 years or so ago we got a aphid attack on my plum tree that I killed off with spray (systemic. IIRC, so it would kill of those bugs even when it didn't hit them directly.) A couple of years later the aphids where back and I wouldn't spray it again so I started looking for alternatives. One thing I figured out was I had also a ant problem in the same tree, so I got rid of those and that helped quite a bit but had to be repeated from time to time. A couple of years later ladybugs started to show up and this year I counted 6. Considering each of them can eat 100 aphids a day or so they are very welcome :-) A few possible explanations, won't go into rating them: - maybe it was all random - maybe ladybugs are more sensitive to insect spray than aphids are (would make sense since they prey on aphids and systemic insecticides could/would accumulate up in the food chain.) - maybe the ant colony had been keeping the ladybugs away the first year the aphids attacked (I don't know but it is widely known that ants and aphids often form a symbiotic relationship so it wouldn't surprise me a bit if they also defended their source of yummy sugar.) - maybe my plum tree was just to small to pick up a collection of ladybugs the first year. - or maybe a combination.

ajmurmann 7y ago
From totally unscientific observations I made as a young child: the ants actually deploy and protect the aphids like cattle. I remember seeing ants literally carry ladybugs away from the aphids.
- eitland 7y ago
  Wish I was that patient when I was young :-) Meanwhile I've been looking around and while most of the results here aren't scientific studies they still support our observations: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=ants+aphids+relationship&t=fpas&ia=web https://duckduckgo.com/?q=ants+aphids+relationship&t=fpas&ia...
- lelf 7y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid#Ant_mutualism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid#Ant_mutualism
- onorton 7y ago
  I remember reading that in a book when I was about 6 or 7 and it turned my childhood obsession of dinosaurs into one of ants.
- dillonmckay 7y ago
  Same with fingernail or toenail clippings.
taneq 7y ago
I pruned my roses a few years ago and within minutes the cut stems were seething with aphids. I tried to get rid of them with some mild bug spray (iirc it was pyrethrum or similar) but they just ignored it, and I needn't have bothered because within half an hour there were dozens of ladybugs eating the aphids. It was amazing how fast both species homed in on their respective targets.
seedie 7y ago
Harmonia axyridis were imported to nothern america and europe for this reason https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonia_axyridis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonia_axyridis and yes ants protect their cattle from ladybugs

naikrovek 7y ago

They bite, though. They bite me, anyway. Well, I guess I am assuming it's a bite, because whatever it is they do on my skin, it hurts.