NY Central Park Releases Ladybugs

The Wall Street Journal, 2013

At 7 a.m. Wednesday, Maria Hernandez and her colleagues from the Central Park Conservancy scissored open two mesh bags and released 140,000 brightly colored, natural-born killers—ladybugs.

The ladybugs are part of an effort to use ecologically friendly methods in Central Park to fight pests. This summer's main target: aphids, winged insects that feed on sap and "suck the life out of plants," said Ms. Hernandez, director.... (Read more...)

Lost Ladybug Project

National Science Foundation (NSF), 2013

Join in finding out where all the ladybugs have gone so we can try to prevent more native species from becoming so rare. Over the past twenty years several native ladybugs that were once very common have become extremely rare. During this same time ladybugs from other places have greatly increased both their numbers and range. Some ladybugs are simply found in new places. This is happening very quickly and we don't know how, or why, or what impact it will have on ladybug diversity or the role that ladybugs play in keeping plant-feeding insect populations low. (Read more...)

Students Release Ladybugs Inside Mall of America

MSN News
April 24, 2013

Why on Earth would they do that?" we hear you thinking... The ladybugs are a natural alternative to pesticides for the mall's 30,000 live plants as they feed on aphids, which are considered pests. (Watch the Video...)

A helpful nuisance

Aaron Horrell
Southeast Missourian
November 14, 2010

In the early 1980s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture claimed to have established the Japanese ladybug into the North American landscape after decades of attempts. Japanese ladybugs eat aphids, which had been causing large crop losses for American pecan and soybean growers. (Read more...)

Ladybug onslaught means they are looking to hibernate

Merritt Melancon
The Union-Recorder
December 02, 2003

One ladybug landing on your sleeve might feel lucky to some, but for those who are blessed with hundreds of these red and black beetles, lucky might not be the word they would use. (Read more...)

Do-good, harmless ladybugs plentiful this year

Feature Article
The Gazette
November 7, 2000

Wow! Have you ever seen so many ladybugs? Where did they all come from? I did some digging to find out. It seems that Ohio's ladybug population grew in size about 5 years ago when the government, namely forestries and agricultural agencies, got together and decided to import the Asian lady beetle - 88,000 of them, to the northeastern states of the U.S. You will never guess why! (Read more...)