Last week I ordered and received a package of live lady bugs, more appropriately referred to as lady beetles, in the mail. Lady beetles are beneficial insects who are used to control greenhouse and garden insect pests including, but not limited to, aphids and white flies. I currently have growing populations of both in the hoophouses at St. Joe’s.

This week I’ll release a second round of lady beetles to combat the aphid and white fly problem.

Did you know that “beetles are the dominant form of life on earth: one of every five living species is a beetle, and one fourth of all animals are beetles. Coleoptera is the largest order in the animal kingdom, containing a third of all insect species.” What a humbling fact!