Close-up - lovely ladybirds

We’re always overjoyed when ladybirds (aka ladybugs or ladybeetles) make a plant in the garden their home.

They love to eat aphids, mites and scale insects, as well as the powdery mildew that often forms on the leaves of cucurbits like squash, zucchini or cucumbers.

Ladybirds are our friends at every stage of their lifecycle. What might look like altogether different insects in the second photo are actually ladybird larvae, tucking into some aphids on the cucumber plant in the kitchen garden. There are hundreds of species in Australia, most of them beneficial. One ‘villain’ is the 28-spotted or leaf-eating ladybird, which is worth learning to identify.

A good example of the variety of beneficial species is the mealybug destroyer (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri) a ladybird native to Australia that feeds mainly on mealybug and soft scale insects. Its larvae - as you can see in the third photo - are cleverly disguised as mealybugs! A good reason to look very closely before brushing off what you think is a pest.
Find out more.