“Yes, I’m a Ladybug. No, we’re not all ladies!”

Meet the Ladybug – a very helpful beneficial bio that we have used in our greenhouses for pest management ever since we started growing. Ladybugs are a helpful good bug to deploy in our greenhouses because they are efficient at fighting soft-bodied bad bugs in our crop, ensuring we don’t suffer crop damage or fruit loss!

We caught up with one of our Ladybugs to learn a bit more about the role they play in our greenhouses: “Although there are hundreds of Ladybug species in North America, you’ll be pleased to know that my species – Hippodamia convergens – is the one most often found in Nature Fresh Farms greenhouses! We’re often the lucky bugs chosen to fight Aphid hot spots in the crops –these bad bugs can hide from us!”

The name Ladybug is a little misleading: “I need to clear something up: not all Ladybugs are female (although I am!), and we aren’t actually bugs… we are beetles! We got the name Ladybug years and years ago, but it really isn’t accurate, so thank you for letting me clear that up for everyone!”

Many Ladybugs, including the ones we release into our greenhouses, have red bodies with black dots on their back. In the wild, the Ladybug’s red body helps protect it from predators because red often communicates that an insect is poisonous, making predators wary of it.

If we find an Aphid hot spot in our crop, our Bio Scouts and Growers will often turn to Ladybugs to manage the pest populations. As soon as we introduce a group of Ladybugs to the crop, they get to work hunting all the Aphids they can find. Our Ladybugs are essential members of our #GrowToPeople team!