Lady birds and aphids

I had three Dahlias in pots covered in aphids a right mess even in the buds. , I took them to the end of the green house then got my little lidded pot . I have recently seen a lot of ladybirds on the lettuces .

Iì went lady bird hunting. After 15 mins of scrutinising round the veg and boarders I must have collected at least 30 odd . I'd put all the Dahlias together I then emptied the ladybirds on to my plants.
That was yesterday
Today I couldn't see any aphids at all. So I arranged some aubergine plants which had succumbed to aphids ,fingers roused I shall have some very full bellied lady birds and some more free from aphids plants

 

It's good that you found ladybirds, I haven't seen any this year, and last year I only saw one small one. They seem to have died out around here.

 

I must have them all but I live in the country surrounded by fields. Maybe that's why!!!

 

When I cut down our aphid-infested and virus-riddled Buddleia a huge number of instars and ladybirds wandered around after. I've been ferrying them everywhere in the garden. It works! I have wondered what happens when the aphids are being nursed by ants; I presume the ants deter the ladybirds and instars.

 

I am also surrounded by fields and woods, but haven't seen ladybirds for years. I once lived in a small town but there were plenty of ladybirds there.

 

i've seen very few adults so far this year, but have seen a huge amount of larvae in the last few days which is encouraging.
We've had very little rain here this year and almost none in the last few months.
Even many weeds are dying in my garden so I've hardly seen any aphids so far this year either.
Maybe the ladybirds know we'll get rain soon (I hope) and there will be food for the ladybird larvae

 

I see very few ladybirds in my garden, but yesterday in the park I saw a tulip tree covered in aphids and adult ladybirds.

 

Strange how we have different experiences with them. I'm seeing much more ladybirds (both adults and larvae) this year than in recent years, despite the drought and the fact that it doesn't seem to be a particularly big aphid year.

Last year (cooler and damper) I remember much more aphids and less ladybirds. Maybe there's a lag effect with a ladybird boom now following last year's aphid boom?

 

there are tonnes of them around here. i see larvae every day if I look. aphid population peaked late may and is down to nothing now.

 

I watched once a documentary about the heat in 1976 and one thing was that there was a huge amount of ladybirds. Obviously, ladybirds like it hot and dry.
BBC - Could the ladybird plague of 1976 happen again?

 

I remember it well @simone_in_wiltshire
They were literally everywhere - inside and out.
Even pavements were covered with them. Just walking down the street slaughtered thousands.
And they nip, which I hadn't known before.

It's only been over the last few days I'm seeing more and more of them this year.
Not many aphids this year, but loads of ladybirds now.
We've had very little rain so far this year, so maybe good for ladybirds, not so good for aphids.

 

Very interesting @JWK and @Pete8