About 250,000 ladybugs were dispersed to kids in Regina’s Victoria park Thursday.
It’s the third annual event that the city of Regina organizes to teach kids about the usefulness of ladybugs.
Spokesperson Russell Eirich said using ladybugs is a pesticide free way to control aphids.
“We don’t always have to use pesticides, our area tries to use an integrated pest management philosophy which through it produces lots of tools in the toolbox of trying to exclude insects out or use other natural methods that are there.”
Eirich said the ladybugs cost the city about $1,200 per year.
“It’s a really cheap way of doing it for us,” Eirich said. “It’s great for a park setting like this, and a park this size is propbably what you would need.”
Lots of people on hand for Regina’s annual lady bug event at Victoria Park #yqr #sask pic.twitter.com/GWF9jXxrHY
— Ryan McNally (@RyanE_McNally) July 18, 2019
Eirich said the average ladybug eats about 5,000 aphids in its lifetime.
“If you think 250,000 ladybugs, we’re talking 50 Million aphids are being eaten, so it’s a bunch.”
Aphids are known to put stress on trees and leave a sap residue on vehicles that attracts wasps, something Eirich says can be limited with the ladybugs.
