Colwood releases thousands of ladybugs to protect trees and parks
The City of Colwood has released thousands of aphid-eating ladybugs to help protect its trees, parks and shrubs.
Last week, the city said its parks team released the colourful insects around Colwood "as a way to manage the damage caused by pests such as aphids."
A single ladybug can eat as many as 5,000 aphids in their lifetime, according to the city.
"Ladybugs are an inexpensive and environmentally friendly alternative to harmful chemical pesticides," said the municipality in a release Tuesday.
Ladybugs can live up to two to three years, and hibernate in the winter when it's cold, staying alive by feeding on their own fat reserves.
The insects tend to sleep in the early morning when it's cool before becoming active in the sunshine.
Besides ladybugs, Colwood is also releasing aphid midges across the city, which eat aphids.
"The midges are more likely to stay put in windy locations, and are almost as voracious as the ladybugs, consuming 60 different species of aphids," said the municipality.
"Small pill-bottle sized containers of the wee beneficial midges are hung in the trees so they can make their way onto the leaves."
A ladybug larve container is pictured in Colwood. Similar containers full of aphid midges are also hung in the city. (City of Colwood)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.