One of the insects on the mint. Friend said ladybug babies? So spiky!
Yes, this is a ladybug larva, I have several as well. They eat enormous amounts of aphids while growing up, I love those tiny killer babies.
WOO! I was sincerely hoping to get more ladybugs then! I haven’t seen any aphids, but want the ladies around in case!
If you haven’t seen any aphids then that’s probably the ladybugs already working.
They’re such voracious & vicious predators. Watch them feast up close — magnified, if you dare. 😱🤘🏼
This is a great example of why to check before killing/removing any bugs from your plants. Same thing when you see eggs planted on your leaves. It would suck to crush a bunch of assassin bug eggs on a plant.
I had yellow jackets build a nest inside one of my potted plants last year. On one hand, it’s a little sketchy, on the other hand, wasps and Hornets are great multipurpose predators if they aren’t located where they will bother you much.
Yes yes. No ladybugs are harmed.
Spotted lanternflies though, those are killed whenever I can actually grab one. Invasive here but also overrun here, so it’s probably pointless.
Pro tip for killing the lanternflies: they are super quick and jumpy, but it takes a bit for them to build up a second jump, so once they land on their first, it’s easy to squash them.
I managed to grab two by smushing them between a sheet of paper! The others all jumped. But we aren’t quite so bad here, I only saw the four of them.
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Ladybugs in all their phases? They’re fun! I’m so glad they’re here. I was worried we had none, given it’s very suburban here, but no! Many! Delightful!
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