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 Most
of us know that ladybugs are good insects. They are
known for helping rid gardens and crops of insect pests,
especially aphids.
Did
you also know?
In
medival Europe, people believed the ladybug was devinely
sent from heaven to protect the crops. They called it
"The Bug of our Lady" - a reference to the
Virgin Mary. Over time, the name was shortened to ladybug.
As
children, many of us sang a nursery rhyme that went
like this:
"Ladybug,
Ladybug, Fly Away Home. Your house is on fire, your
children do roam. Except little Nan who sits in a pan,
Weaving gold laces as fast as she can."
This
verse started in ancient England as a warning to the
ladybugs crawling on old hops vines. After harvest,
farmers set fires to the vines to clean the fields.
The adult ladybugs could fly away, the larvae could
only crawl. The unfortunate pupa (Nan in the nursery
rhyme) was fastened to the burning vines.
 Today,
many residents of southeastern Nebraska are finding
ladybugs annoying as they move to overwintering sites.
The offending ladybug is only one species - the Multicolored
Asian Ladybird Beetle (shown above). This is not a native
ladybug. It was introduced into the U.S. to help fight
pests but it is also becoming a nuisance around homes
in fall (see photo right) and even during warm sunny
days during winter/spring. (And, you aren't imagining
it - - they will give you an annoying and somewhat painful
"nip".) Control
involves sealing cracks and crevices BEFORE cold weather
sets in.
This
information was summarized from Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly
Away Home by Barb Ogg, Extension Educator. This article
appears in the September 2004 NEBLINE Newsletter.
Learn
more and find Control Information HERE:
Ladybug,
Ladybug, Fly Away Home (entire article - 54KB .pdf
file)
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