Apr 13, 2021
The annual Picnic Day celebration at UC Davis is going virtual! Most years, the UC IPM urban & community team participates by giving out ladybugs to kids and families at our educational booth to teach people about the “good bugs” that help control pests in the garden and landscape. Ladybugs (more correctly called lady beetles) are insects that eat other insects such as aphids, which can infest plants and cause damage. People often recognize the brightly colored orange-red lady beetles, but there are many other species of lady beetles and other insect predators that you may not be familiar with.
Since we can't be in person this year, we will be participating in Picnic Day with a downloadable Good Bugs activity kit and scavenger hunt. Each kit includes a lady beetle life cycle coloring page, a “good bugs” scavenger hunt with instructions, and colorful information cards to learn more about biological control and natural enemies. The activity kit is available in both English and Spanish and the best part is… you don't have to come to Davis to participate!
Green lacewing adult
(Credit: Jack Kelly Clark)
The Good Bugs activity kit and other virtual picnic day fun goes live Saturday morning at picnicday.ucdavis.edu. Learn more about the beneficial insects and spiders in your landscape on the UC IPM Natural Enemies Gallery.
Happy hunting!