The ladybug has always been popular. These pretty little insects are considered a symbol of good luck and good fortune. Did you know their also popular because of their ability to eat an enormous amount of aphids?  One ladybug can eat as many as 50 to 60 aphids per day. Aphids (also called plant lice) are herbivores and are one of the worst groups of pests on plants. They feed in colonies and damage plants by sucking the juice out of the leaves, stems, or roots.  Aphids also transmit many plant diseases from one plant to another. Apart from aphids, ladybugs eat a variety of other insects and larvae including white flies, mealy bugs, spider mites, and other types of soft-bodied insects.

Ladybugs require a source of pollen for food and for that reason are attracted to certain types of plants. Their favorite plants  dill, fennel, angelica, tansy, caraway, cilantro, yarrow, and wild carrot. Other plants that attract ladybugs include cosmos (especially the white ones), dandelions, coreopsis, and scented geraniums. 

To further promote ladybug populations, consider cutting back on spraying insecticides in your garden. Ladybugs are sensitive to most synthetic insecticides and if the majority of their food source is gone, they will not lay their eggs and therefore will not continue to populate.

Here are some interesting ladybug facts: 

There are nearly 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs worldwide and 400 which live in North America. 

A ladybug beats its wings 85 times a second when it flies. 

Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes terrible so that birds and other predators won't eat them. 

The spots on a ladybug fade as the ladybug gets older. 

Ladybugs won't fly if the temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The ladybug is the official state insect of Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee.

As you can see, the ladybug is one of the most effective and economically important insects to have in your garden. In some cultures, seeing ladybugs in gardens indicates a bountiful harvest, an indication of good weather or a good luck omen. Create an alluring environment for ladybugs and they are sure to provide charm and pest control in your garden for years to come.