Loving Ladybugs

They are one of the best little friends you can have, so don't go sucking them up in the vacuum unless you empty them back outside to save your garden from sap-sucking aphids! Most find the ladybug nothing more than an indoor pest in the fall and at this time of the year, yet these tiny creatures are one of the most beneficial insects you could have. GardensAlive actually sells ladybug larva as a garden pest controller. In one of Manhattan's most famous middle-class rental complexes, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, 720,000 ladybugs were released as pest control to move away from chemical use. The ladys made themselves at home on the 40 acres of lush greenery throughout the complex, and gobbled up as many aphids and mites as they could eat. Some ladys DO like to eat! Ladybugs actually feed off their own bodyfats during the winter and will lay eggs in your house - usually in crevices of windows or doorjams. Come spring, the eggs start to hatch and on a warm day, they start getting very active and begin looking for ways to get out. So what do you do with the gazillion ladys flying, drinking, hanging out on your lampshades? Its rather simple -- gather the family together and start collecting them and releasing them outside. The vacuum isn't the preferred method...there's a potential for death and you really don't want to kill any of these little beauties. So start collecting the ladys and watch them smile when you let them free!