The Lady Bug Love Story

  

This blog entry is more of a love story then a gardening story. A few weeks ago, I was contemplating my greenhouse struggles with aphids. I began considering the purchase of some lady bugs. Now, this is not my first rodeo with these hardy no nonsense insects. About 6 years ago, while trying to pass my "love of all things gardening" to my children, I purchased a lady bug habitat for my daughter as a gift.  I ordered the lady bugs for it, we (yes, used very loosely, really "me") loved feeding and watering them.  When the temps got within a reasonable degree to release them, we went out and like a scene out of a show on Animal Planet (of course with a deep Australian voice) .."We released the wild creatures at dusk with the cover of darkness".  "The vast army of insects were like predators seeking to kill with a relentless insatiable appetite for aphids"...and that was it.... I know such a let down. Well, over the years, I would find these creatures everywhere, hundreds of them winterizing in my attic, shed, etc. In the past few years, the population seemed to have decreased and proportionally I have noticed an increase in my aphid population.

Now for the love story, I pondered the purchase of the ladybugs for a few weeks. In secrecy, I deliberated, priced and wavered on whether I should buy them or not. Finally, I woke up one Saturday morning in the quiet of a sleeping household went straight to the computer and put them in the Amazon cart.  Done, right?  (Not so fast there is no LOVE in that!)  As I was about to click "Buy", little children began filing in... all with their sleepy eyes, mashed up hair and hungry bellies. The purchase will have to wait till after breakfast. Like all mothers, breakfast turned into helping with other things and other things turned into other things, till I found myself mid afternoon helping my husband tear off the siding on the garage.  While outside in the beautiful spring air thinking about my poor ladybugs sitting and waiting in my Amazon cart,  I said, "I think I have decided to purchase some ladybugs for the garden." He stopped...put down the nail gun and paused like he had heard something offensive. He turned to me and vehemently said, "Don't!"  Now, at this point, being a very strong willed, independent and slightly rebellious woman my hackles started going up. I didn't even get the words "what?!@#%$%" out of my mouth when he asked, "What time is it?" I thought, "time for a fight...that's what time it is!" ha ha.  He swiftly turned and headed down the driveway focused on the mailbox...He came back, with an envelope in his hand. He smiled so deviously like he planned the whole timing of it.  I said, "what is that?" He said, "A few weeks ago, I bought you something...I can't believe it came today!"  He veered down, professed his love for me and said, "Here, open it!"  I tore open that package with tears in my eyes... 1500 ladybugs. The same exact one I had in my cart from early that morning!

He said, "I buy your chairs!" Now, this is where you maybe getting lost. There are a few movies that I absolutely LOVE..."About Time", the "Notebook" and a lesser known film "Phenomenon" (1996). In the movie "Phenomenon", the lady character (Kyra Sedgwick) loves to make chairs. Kyra's character makes wooden rockers out of branches and twigs, and they aren’t at all comfortable. She tries to sell them at the local general store, but just can’t get them to move. In the meantime the two characters breakup.

The scene below is JohnTravolta's character (Banes) having a conversation with Robert Duvall's character (Doc) after the breakup between Banes and the girl. 

Doc: Banes...how's your lady love? 

Banes: We... um... we broke up.

Doc: Really? That's too bad, yeah. (shakes his head in sadness for Banes). Now George has a love at his side and she is sticking with him... You know why? Because he bought her chairs. (shakes his head at the pure brilliance of it)...That's pretty smart to me. You ever buy Lisa's chairs?

Doc: Every woman has her chair, something she needs to put herself into, Banes. You ever figure out what Lisa's chairs were and buy 'em?...

When John’s character starts to fall in love with her, he goes into the store about once a week and purchases her chairs. It’s his way of showing he supports her dream of being self-sufficient and supporting what she loves.

I love this quote because time and time again, my husband "buys my chairs"...my greenhouse, my sprinkler system, my raised beds...my lady bugs!  The list goes on and on. I found a man who loves me by loving my "chairs".  They maybe uncomfortable, not really pretty, at times a real mess needing lots of help...but he continues to show his support of all that I love.  

So this is not just pictures of the release of 1500 ladybugs in the greenhouse. They are pictures of a Love Story...

they came in this cup with food/water mixture on a cottonball

we just opened the lid and dumped them on the plants

I watered the greenhouse as the instructions required

they immediately starting mating like crazy. Apparently, they
mate anytime around Spring and can hold in eggs for up to
3 months until the find a good plant with lots of aphids

 

I was worried that I didn't have enough food for all of them
so I layed out raisins. 

They really liked the sweet basil, I think because little droplets
of water collected nicely on the big leaves

basil flowers

loved this picture of them drinking

 

 I hope they survived. A day after I released them a little cold snap hit. Now when I go to the greenhouse I see them in the corners and on the bubble wrap. I figure if just one lady bug mated and layed eggs or decided to stay that is just a few less aphids to fight come summertime.

Happy Gardening!

Nicki