Be ready for spring. The appetites of beneficials may peak before your garden does. Try to have an early bloomer, such as sweet alyssum or pansy, ready so the beneficial parasites can feed on nectar and pollen. Choose their favorite plants. As a general rule, beneficial insects like tiny flowers that offer both pollen and nectar.
Ladybugs prefer to dine on aphids.
They are considered an aphid predator. However, as with most beetles, ladybugs are very opportunistic and will eat pests other than aphids, such as mites and insect eggs. The eggs hatch into larvae with black or blue alligator-like markings of orange. These, too, are fierce predators, consuming 400 or so aphids during this stage of life. The life-span of these predators is roughly 28 days in their immature stages, then around 11 months as adults.