Encouraging ladybugs in the garden is advisable for anyone who wants biodiversity and free, organic pest control services. In order to make the spotted lucky charms permanent guests in the garden, it is worth preparing suitable shelters for them.
How to build a shelter for ladybugs in the garden?
You can build a ladybug shelter in the garden by leaving piles of leaves, creating piles of stones or wood, or building and setting up a special ladybug house made of wood. Place the shelter in a quiet, sheltered location near forage-rich plants.
Residence conditions for ladybugs
Making a garden ladybird-friendly means, first of all, keeping it as species-rich and natural as possible. This creates an attractive basis for the beetles to settle permanently. In a natural garden they find more food and more hiding places. The latter are particularly necessary for rainy, cool weather conditions and for the winter break.
In the wild, ladybugs find shelter in layers of moss, cracks in tree bark or in piles of stones or wood. Of course, a garden that is not very accurately designed also offers such hiding places. But you can also help a little. For example, by typing
- leave piles of leaves lying together in autumn
- build a pile of stones or a natural stone wall
- pile up a pile of wood
- build a ladybug house
Generate natural retreats
By leaving suitable autumn leaves in a pile, you offer ladybirds (and, incidentally, other welcome beneficial insects such as hedgehogs) a suitable winter quarters. The beetles also like to move into piles of stones or wood piles towards the winter. They radiate heat and offer protection from wind, precipitation and enemies.
With a little aesthetic and planning skills, you can also integrate such constructs into your garden design in a decorative or functional way. For example, have you always wanted to create a herbal snail with natural stone spiral walls?
Build a ladybird house
If you particularly love the friendly and helpful ladybugs and like to be creative with crafts, you can also build a special ladybug house. It has the same function as an insect hotel, but is designed specifically for ladybugs. Such a house can also prevent the beetles from flocking into the house in autumn in search of winter quarters.
You can let your creativity run wild when designing. The classic house shape with a covered gable roof or a hollowed out or perforated tree disk with a covered roof are just a few ideas. Painted in black dotted red, the shelter can be recognized from afar as a ladybug house - of course this is just a treat for our human eyes. Make the ladybugs comfortable with some moss, leaves or pieces of bark inside. It should be placed or hung in a quiet, protected place where plants at risk of aphids may also grow for the first spring snack.
