Ladybugs working hard around the patio

We had a pretty good-sized infestation of little orange aphids in the backyard, particularly on two of our larger narrow leaf milkweed plants.

Yes, they are part of nature, too, but these aphids basically suck the life out of the milkweed plants.

Fortunately we also have other large narrow leaf milkweed plants under mesh to protect them from aphids to maintain a good food source to feed the monarch caterpillars we have been raising indoors.

And just when the aphid infestation on the two affected milkweed plants started to look horrible, the ladybugs came to the rescue, mostly Asian beetles.

They started to devour the aphids and lay eggs, which developed into larvae like the one in the photo above.

Within a matter of days, almost every single aphid has been eaten!

Proof that you don't need pesticides, don't need to spray the aphids with water.

Just let the ladybugs come and fill up on aphids.