City of Thunder Bay Media Release
The release of beneficial insects at the Centennial Botanical Conservatory, previously scheduled for Wednesday, March 15, has been rescheduled due to a shipping delay, to Friday, March 17 at 5 pm.
Join Centennial Botanical Conservatory staff as they release a batch of beneficial insects. Once released, these hunter insects will travel through the Conservatory and greenhouses, consuming “victim” insect pests in egg, larval and adult form.
“Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home!” 9,000 of these familiar, spotted beetles will be released. Ladybugs are voracious predators of aphids, mealy bugs and scale insects. Lindorus (a black lady beetle) will also be released, along with Common Lacewing, and everyone's favourite, the Praying Mantis. Mantises arrive at the Conservatory still in egg cases; a hatching chamber will be installed so that children can witness the eggs hatching as longer, warmer days approach.
The Conservatory does not use chemical pesticides; staff manually remove insect pests by washing leaves, and employ friendly insects for pest control.
