Chris Cantell Discusses Science: Ladybugs will clear New York complex of pests

by Corina Ciubotaru

The owner of a popular apartment building complex in New York has found a unique way to take care of an insect problem and it all comes down to the old saying : "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em". To get the buildings free of pests like mites and aphids, Tishman Speyer brought 720,000 ladybugs from Oregon, California and Montana and unleashed them in onto the unsuspecting pests. They are expected to clean out the Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village and all 40 acres of plants and grass without damaging the environment, before moving to a different territory. The ladybugs came in cotton bags filled with straw and were barely awakening from a state of hibernation, which is how their collector, Eric Vinje keeps them before shipping. It's a natural state for these insects, in which they rely on consuming their own body fat and can live without eating for up to six months. They were delivered through the mail at a price of $16.50 per 2000 insects and were warmly greeted by the human inhabitants of the complex. This species - Hippodamia convergens - is unlikely to enter homes and bother tenants, and city officials think they won't disturb the area's environmental balance either. Each ladybug can eat up to 50 aphids daily from its 19 per 19 inch turf and 720,000 was the number considered most appropriate by the supplying company, Planet Natural, owned by Vinje. They are rather benign and hard-working, much cheaper than pesticide, and hopefully more effective.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071021/ap_on_sc/manhattan_ladybugs;_ylt=AkZlhPWnZdoe9LyEYSCyDXCs0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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Posted by: Jana Kalicka