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Spiders and Ladybugs

18 years ago

I thought spiders were good for gardens, that they eat bad insects. Now I read something about them being bad for butterflies. What's the story there? Good how/bad how?

Also, I have a ton of ladybugs at my house and I want them to stay so I can keep the aphids away. How can I make sure they want to stay and are happy here?

Thanks!

Diana

Comments (3)

  • 18 years ago

    I don't know of anything you can do to make ladybugs stay at your house - if you have plants with aphids or other insects that they eat on them, they'll stick around.
    I get tons of spider webs on my property in the fall, and most of the insects I find in their webs are of the variety that we humans usually don't want. Ocassionally, however, they will trap a butterfly, so I have a long stick I use to remove spider webs from my garden and other areas where there are lots of nectar plants that attract lots of butterflies. I let the others stay - spiders do have their place in nature! :)
    Sherry

  • 18 years ago

    If your ladybugs are there naturally they are more likely to stay. They will lay eggs and their larvae can't fly. But if you bought them, they will probably fly off.

    I visited a wonderful butterfly santuary near Sebastopol, CA owned by Louise Hallberg. She told me she had a big problem with the spiders. I believe they eat the eggs or the small cats. But there really is nothing one can do about it. As Miss Sherry said, spiders have their place in nature. And they do so much good in keeping a balance.

  • 18 years ago

    If you have a healthy balance, it's not really an issue. Yes, you will lose some to predation, but the benefits of a healthy system in my mind far outweigh those little quirks.

    My favorite all time bird is the Eastern Phoebe, a small flycatcher. A pair nests under the eave of the house each year and raise two batches of young. I have photographed them carrying a few different varieties of butterflies to the nest, but they play a monster roll in keeping grasshoppers at bay. Until they decided to brighten our lives, grasshoppers were a major headache for me during the summer. The grasshopper population steadily grows early in the spring to the point I can hear them flying in the grass over birds singing. Then the Phoebes eggs hatch and a few weeks later I have forgotten all about grasshoppers.

    In spite of the occasional butterfly that becomes breakfast or lunch, there is still a very healthy population of butterflies here.

    If you see a lot lady beetles now, you'll see them again when you need them. I wouldn't worry too much about them. If an infestation breaks out here, they usually show up after there is enough aphids built up to justify laying eggs on the plant for the young. I try to be patent and wait for them to take care of things. On occasion Amber and I will go catch a couple and turn them loose on a plant to give them a heads up there is a problem.

    randy

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