Ladybirds everywhere!

Grawns

My story is I left some new raised beds (new garden, new build house, first summer) to go to weed and the bees loved them. I think it was mainly rape but anyway, loads of bees and hover flies cabbage butterflies etc. After the drought I've noticed loads of ladybirds. They're feasting. Meanwhile some of the new beds had been planted with green manure, lots of phacelia which has yet to bloom.

My dilemma is when I weed the beds will I lose my ladybirds. That's where all there food is though I've seen some movement in the phacelia. Should I just leave it for the wildlife and hoe it in the autumn? Or can I hoe it when the phacelia blooms?

The birds love these weedy beds too!

Grawns

Do I love weeds

Ms2011

Ladybird are on the decline, if you have a haven for them I'd leave it alone.

http://www.biology.ie/home.php?m=ladybirds2

Suckit

In France in June they were giving away larvae of ladybirds and lacewings to raise public awareness of organic gardening and the preservation of beneficial insects in the garden.

https://www.sortiraparis.com/actualites/a-paris/articles/138637-des-larves-de-coccinelles-distribuees-aux-jardiniers-parisiens-amateurs

Mainly in Paris, but they had it throughout France. They had many other similar type things too throughout spring.


(I would definitely leave it alone.)

Grawns

That's what I want to do for now but eventually I'd like a compromise with nice native plants😁. I bought them a hotel ffs! You should see the weeds, they are in rags. I never gave those beds a drop of water but they were against a tall north facing wall. they've been shredded by caterpillars, beloved by the bees and now comes the ladybirds. I can hardly walk across the grass for fear of standing on them. I will mind them carefully

Stoner

Just on that, I've a few fruit bushes and ants seem to be looking after the greenfly, I know they do this, but there's a huge increase in ants IMO. Possibly all the cobblelock around.

I wonder if they are also impacting on the ladybird's.

I've ants minding greenfly on rosetrees and blackcurrant bushes

Haven't seen a ladybird in my garden this year