Little lady killer: Every child's favourite bug, ladybirds are short in stature but long on appetite - and a big help to gardeners

摘要

THE RICHLY VARIED patterns of ladybirds are truly captivating, but it's their voracious appetites that underscore their popularity with gardeners and farmers. Australia hosts more than 500 ladybird species, most of which are predators of aphids and scales — insect pests that feed on plant sap and cause serious damage to gardens and crops when they occur in large numbers. In 1888, the Australian native veda-lia ladybird became the world's first biocontrol agent when it was exported to California to rid citrus orchards of cottony-cushion scale. The mealybug ladybird followed in 1891 and successfully controlled California's citrus mealy bug. Today ladybirds such as the transverse, maculate and minute two-spotted species control aphid populations, andthus increase yields in the Australian cotton industry, one of our highest rural export earners.