RICHMOND, Va. -- Students at Chesterbrook Academy Preschool in Richmond released thousands of ladybugs throughout the schoolyard on Friday.
Teachers said that leading up to Earth Day on Saturday, students have been learning that ladybugs serve as a natural pesticide by feeding on insects that could otherwise harm the health of gardens, trees and shrubs.
Chesterbrook Principal Sara Tomblin said that students typically had two distinct reactions during the release.
“We expected good and bad and that's what we got,” Tomblin said. “Some are scared of them, but we assured them, ‘They won’t harm you. They’re good for the outside.’ Some of them love them. They were crawling all over them, which was funny.”
If you would like to attract ladybugs to your own garden, you can spray plant-safe products like "wheast," which is a mixture of wheat and yeast.
Additionally, flowers like angelica and dill also promote ladybug populations.
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