While we know nothing is all good or bad, in this lesson, we explore what we consider “good bugs” vs. “bad bugs” in the garden. Good bugs feed on the bad bugs and nectar from the plants without destroying them. Bad bugs, feed on the plants we are trying to grow themselves and cause damage in the plants that we are growing. There are more beneficial insects in the garden than ones that are detrimental to plant growth. Most people think of bugs as bad, but upon consideration understand that bugs are essential to keeping a garden thriving.
Gather around the kids and talk about what they think about bugs. Ask whether there are bugs that they can think of that are helpful to plants. Bees are an obvious one that many kids might think of. Other beneficial bugs are ladybugs, praying mantis, green lacewings, hoverflies, and parasitic wasps. Then ask how a bug might be helpful to a garden. They help pollinate plants, provide organic pest control (eat the bad bugs that destroy plants and keep their numbers under control), and they help with biodiversity. Bill Nigh made a fantastic video about biodiversity that I have embeded below
There are ways to keep more of these good bugs in your garden. Planting plants that they love is one good option so even if you are growing fruits and vegetables, planting Milkweed, Lavender, Sunflowers, Grasses, Yarrow, Sweet Alyssum, Dill, and Basil will help to attract beneficial insects. Keeping water in the garden helps as well because all living things need water. Also, when you use pesticides they can kill good bugs along with bad bugs, so be very mindful about spraying bugs.
Lady Bugs
For this lesson, purchase a container of ladybugs from the garden center (cost around $10) to have the kids release into the garden. One container should be more than enough. Keep the ladybugs in the fridge until you are ready to release them. Releasing them in the morning or at dusk is the best option to have them stay put for a while, but knowing that they might go in another yard in the community and that they is for a lesson, don’t worry if you release them during the day. Water the garden before you release the bugs.
I taught them the life cycle of a ladybug. A female ladybug will lay more than 1,000 eggs in her life. After the eggs are laid, they will mature from 2-5 days. Then they will be in the larval stage, which lasts 21 days. These don’t look anything like ladybugs, which is one reason not to kill bugs indiscriminately. You could be killing something that you want to keep around to help your garden. The third stage in the Pupa Stage, which lasts 7 days. In the pupal stage, it is much like a butterflies chrysalis. It is usually yellow or orange with black markings and it remains still, attached to a leaf as the ladybug’s body undergoes its transformation. The fourth stage is the adult stage, where the ladybug becomes an adult beetle and will live up to a year.
Before passing them out, remind the kids that these are good bugs and that they do not bite or eat people and that they will tickle. Instruct them to gently place the lady bugs on or near the base of the plants. Have the kids line up and then give a few to each kid to release into the garden. Some will be very nervous, but by the end of class, most will want to try and hold them and be excited to see them out in the garden. They will get all over you, so if you are squeamish about bugs, bring a volunteer to pass them out. It is a joy filled garden day as kids squeal as they find the bugs and place them on the plants.
Ladybug fun facts
- Ladybugs hibernate in the winter under the ground, in tree bark, or under logs. They huddle in groups sometimes numbering in the millions to keep warm.
- When they hibernate, they live off stored fat, much like a bear does.
- Ladybugs produce a chemical that tastes bad to birds and other predators. In nature, animals and insects that are brightly colored are often harmful to animals and the color is a warning.
- Ladybugs chew from side to side.
- When a ladybug flies, it will be its wings 85 times a second!
- Aphids are a ladybugs favorite meal, but they also eat miles, chinch bugs, mealybugs, asparagus beetle larvae, thrips, scales, moth eggs, leaf hoppers, and other insects with soft bodies.
