REGINA — Thousands of tiny helpers were released in Regina on Thursday as the city turned to ladybugs to help control pests naturally.
On Thursday, the city, with the help of local residents, released more than 200,000 ladybugs.
"[These] ladybugs do a lot to help control pest populations, particularly aphids; they're really good at controlling the aphid population. They can eat about 5,000 aphids,” explained Ashley Thompson, City of Regina manager of parks technical services, at the event in Victoria Park.
Aphids are well-known garden insects that suck sap from plants, damaging or killing young plants.
To help combat aphids, Thompson recommends releasing ladybugs in targeted areas.
“So in your garden would be a good one, and around trees, around the bases of trees is a good spot, and in the shade is good too. They don't like all this heat, so getting them in the shade is better.”
Ladybugs can also be stored temporarily in the fridge, but Thompson said it’s better to release them as soon as possible.
The city sourced the ladybugs from an Ontario company that receives its insect supply from California.
The event is also seen as important from an educational perspective.
“It's really important that kids aren't scared of bugs, that they understand that they're important and beneficial.”
The event typically draws between 1,000 and 1,500 people.
