There was a lady bug named Lizzy. She found herself in a tizzy. On her back she saw spots that grew there like dots. And the whole matter made her quite dizzy. — Anonymous

Please put the ladybug outside without harming her. — Winston Churchill, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1874-1965)

As the freezing temperatures rolled in, the little tree frogs still in their milk jugs were moved to the greenhouse. They’ve made nice protected homes in plastic milk jugs half full of water. As the air temperature continued to fall the insects also departed so that the tree frogs had little nourishment. As the tree frogs moved to warmer temperatures so did the ladybugs.

Seemingly overnight hordes of ladybugs appeared in the upstairs bedroom facing west. That room with all its windows stays warm all the way to air-conditioning season. Mostly the little critters settle on the molding by the ceiling, others cling to the sheer curtains. And those that do not survive fall to the ground.

I may have been a little obsessed over the ladybugs as daily I would get my “bug box” and gather the clinging ladybugs. Catching the insects required a step-ladder. Ladybugs can fly so some would flutter to another post. Some would drop to the floor. Some would end up in the palm of my hand and gently removed to the bug box. From there I would take the bug box to the greenhouse and remove the top. Within a day the ladybugs would have moved to other areas among the plants. Gathering the bug box again I’d return to the west room and collect more.

Ladybugs will feast on aphids, moth eggs, mites, scales, thrips, leaf hoppers, mealybugs, chinch bugs, asparagus beetle larvae, whiteflies, and other unwanted pests. There was a season when tomato plants grew like trees in the greenhouse and were viciously attacked by whiteflies. They were so numerous they floated around like clouds and could easily be sucked into a nostril. None of the suggested pesticides or soap solutions or other natural concoctions stopped the whiteflies one bit. Our only solution was to stop growing tomatoes.

Ladybugs were introduced from Europe in the early 1900’s to fight agricultural pests like aphids and others. The bugs do not bite or sting. They will not burrow in wood or eat clothing.  They are considered beneficial pests. Reports say they can fly 37 mph and travel up to 70 miles without stopping. There are around 6,000 species of ladybugs with between 13-18 species found in the US.

There is an Asian Lady Beetle that looks very much like the ladybug we all know and love. Our ladybug is most often red with black dots. The Asian variety can be orange, yellow, or red and can bite unlike the ladybug. Otherwise their habits are quite similar, eating the same pests and with lifespans of 2 to 3 years.

Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].