While many bugs are unwelcome visitors in the garden, there are a few that every experienced gardener wants to make a home there. One TikToker just highlighted the species that he called "a gardener's best friend" — ladybugs, of course.
The scoop
Kyle (@_balconygardener_) has a channel full of tips on how to make the most out of a garden space, and his ladybug hack is no exception. "I do a ladybug farm every year," he explains in the video.
@_balconygardener_ these ladybugs will not eat your plants and will control the insect pests in your garden! 🙂 #plant #ladybug #garden #gardening #gardentips #gardenlife ♬ Lofi - Domknowz
Ladybugs can be found all over the world, but to protect the local environment, Kyle was careful in selecting the variety for his farm. "This particular species is a non-invasive North American species known as convergent ladybugs," he says, showing off hundreds of the tomato-red bugs crawling over a bed of mulch.
To attract ladybugs of your own, try planting a variety of flowers so something is constantly in bloom. You can also buy ladybugs to release — just be careful to pick a native species.
How it's helping
As Kyle explains, ladybugs don't eat plants; they eat other insects. "Ladybugs are absolutely fantastic for controlling pests in your garden, as they will tear through the insects that are eating your plants," he says. This means healthier garden plants, which means you can harvest more veggies, which means fewer trips to the grocery store and less pollution from transporting produce for you to buy.
Meanwhile, a thriving garden improves your physical and mental health by providing fiber for your diet and encouraging you to spend time outdoors. It even saves you money on food.
Plus, the bugs themselves are beautiful! "It's also peaceful to watch them just stop and drink water," says Kyle.
What people are saying
Commenters were eager to try farming their own ladybugs like Kyle. "Let me know if you guys are interested in seeing a video on how to do this," he said.
That prompted comments like, "How do you do this? Please!!!"
"I gotta do this when I get my garden up and running," said another user.
Another commenter confirmed how successful a ladybug release can be. "I bought a thousand from my local Lowe's once and released them on my 35 acres of farmland, and this year they're everywhere and I love it," they said.
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