We all have a bird house or two on our property but there are other critters that need a little help in the real estate department as well.
A small Mason Bee home was our first addition. And now a small 'bunkie' for Ladybugs. They will usually gather together to keep warm and safe. In nature they will find bark on trees to crawl under or any little hole they can all squeeze into together. A lady bug Home, is a great solution because they can all live in there together without the risk of being eaten by predators!!
An adult ladybug eats approx 100 aphids a day! They will also consume soft bodied insects, white flies and mites. For this reason they are always welcomed with open arms by gardeners everywhere!
This gardener is certainly welcoming them into her backyard . . . I hate Aphids! We haven't had any trouble with them this year but when we lived in the townhouse our patio was swarming with those florescent green buggers!!! I'm pretty sure the only thing I hate more than aphids are SLUGS, I despise those little (excuse my french) Bastards!!! I hate them more than men hated the movie Magic Mike, I hate them more than everyone hated Frank Burns in MASH (or for the younger audience who may be reading . . . I hate them more than the Griffin's hate MEG).
But more to the point of my story . . . .
I was shopping as Homesense for a patio umbrella and as per usual, I came out of Homesense with something completely different . . . a ladybug house. It was $3 and looked like it belonged in the backyard of Barbie's Dream house with its pink flowery exterior.
p.s. Does anyone else have the "Lady in Red" song stuck in their head now?
That lady bug mood board made me laugh, hilarious!
ReplyDeleteI live in the midwestern US and we are overrun with ladybugs every fall. They live in the soybean fields in the summer and once the beans are harvested, the ladybugs look for a warm place to spend the winter. They are able to get into houses through any tiny little crack around doors and windows, etc. If you don't get the exterior of your house sprayed, you will literally have swarms of them crawling all over inside your house. They give off a nasty odor and cause allergic, asthma-like reactions in some people, including my husband. Even though I try to avoid pesticides at all costs, we are religious about having the outside of our house sprayed before the beans are harvested. So be careful what you wish for, a small amount of ladybugs is good but when you have swarms of them like we do, it's just gross! :)
ReplyDeleteOk, so I am totally a MiniManor stalker... always read, never post. But that moodboard is absolutely great. I'm still laughing. It takes a super special person to write great sarcasm without following it up with "j/k". I always second guess myself and my ability to be funny and delete it. So thanks for the inspiration and the laugh!
ReplyDeleteWell....I'll be ~ I've never heard of ladybug houses!!
ReplyDeleteLove the moodboard ~ ha!!
Love the moodboard!
ReplyDeleteBest moodboard ever!
ReplyDeleteHave you seen PIXAR's "A bug's life"? -
"What - She's a guy!" :)
Jule
That moodboard just made my morning!
ReplyDeletebwahahah! Mood Board! HA! Still laughing :) What a sweet thing to do...I never knew they made lady bug houses!
ReplyDeleteThe ladybugs invade us here in spring big time...they love palladium windows in bathrooms...while I love them, I hate them indoors! Maybe if I create a home outdoors for them they will stay out of ours!! LOL
ReplyDeleteLOVE your ladybug house and I, too, am LMAO as to the moodboard. Too funny!
ReplyDeleteThat's downright adorable!
ReplyDeleteYou are hilarious with your ladybug house moodboard :D
ReplyDeleteI love it! I totally want one for my yard! We are currently having a really rough year this year with wasps! I don't knoww why, but they are everywhere, and they are agressive this year. I hate them. Bees are one thing, but wasps....grrrr.
ReplyDeletei see that am not the only one flipping about the moodboard, lol! i kinda loved the green roof on the Before pic. i thought that was so "you".
ReplyDeleteThe moodboard just made me snort Diet Coke through my nose. At work.
ReplyDeleteLove the ladybug moodboard...@Courtney...perhaps you are speaking of the "faux" ladybugs, aka Asian Lady Beetles. They are very similar and they are the ones that get into the house and give off a foul smell and give the real Red Ladies a bad rap. Here is some more info...
ReplyDeleteMulti-Colored Asian Lady Beetle
The multi-colored Asian lady beetle goes by a variety of names, including the Asian lady beetle, the Halloween beetle, and the Ladybird beetle, among others. These insects are easily confused with ladybugs because they are approximately the same size and shape, but there are several distinct differences between Asian lady beetles and ladybugs. Ladybugs are small, dome shaped insects with red or orange bodies and black spots. They are beneficial to gardens and crops because they feed on aphids, which are parasitic insects that can kill garden plants. Asian lady beetles can be tan, orange or red, and they have a distinctive 'm' or 'w' pattern on their heads that distinguishes them from ladybugs. Asian lady beetles are helpful to plants because they also eat aphids, but unlike ladybugs, they swarm and can be a nuisance during the colder months when they want to come indoors. Just before dying these insects emit a foul odor and release a yellowish fluid that can stain walls, floors or carpeting.
Awwww .... how sweet! Gotta say that I liked the bright flowers on the "before" house. Too cute!
ReplyDeleteHaha, you are quickly becoming one of my favorite bloggers. I've never commented before but you are hilarious!! I too, love the moodboard. :)
ReplyDeleteso very cute we had a ladybug on our potato plant the other day and my 5 year old took a photo of it on the iphone....very cute home for them. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia
ReplyDeleteLoving the moodboard!!
ReplyDeleteThat is super cool. I would be happy living there :-)
ReplyDeleteOMG....girl. You crack me up. The Magic Mike comment, Frank Burns and the mood board. HILARIOUS! (sorry....I'm waaay too old to know who the hell Meg is.
ReplyDelete