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| Lady beetle , Family Coccinelidae
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| Counteracts these pest(s) |
Aphid
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| How to recognize |
| Most people know an adult lady beetle (lady bug), but the larvae are most valuable. The larva is soft-bodied and alligator-shaped with black and orange markings. Each species has a distinct pattern. |
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| Benefits |
| Both larvae and adults feed on soft-bodied insects such as aphids, mealybugs, scale insects and spider mites as well as insect eggs. |
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| How to attract |
| Plant flowers that produce pollen and nectar (dill, angelica). Allowing weeds (dandelion, wild carrot, yarrow) can help too. You could also spray a combination of whey and yeast on plants as a food source. |
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| If you buy |
| We don't recommend buying lady beetles for pest control: most often they won't stay in your garden when released. The best thing is to attract lady beetles, or other insect predators, to your yard. |
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