Dandelion, Tansy, Fennel, Butterfly Weed, Common Yarrow, Bugleweed, Cosmos, Maximilian Sunflower, Caraway, Angelica, Statice, Feverfew, Coreopsis, Chives, Coneflowers, and Mint are some of the plants you can grow easily to attract ladybug in your garden.
Ladybugs do not like citronella or the smell of mint. Combine peppermint essential oil with water and spray around the areas Ladybugs gather. For exterior areas where they may be entering, spray plant oil based repellent like NBS 30 around entry points to help discourage them.
Unlike most pesky bugs that you want to purge from your garden, ladybugs live up to their cute little name. They pose no harm and are actually beneficial to your plants by feasting on a few of your plant's nemeses such as aphids, mealybugs, leaf hoppers, scales and mites.
Which Plants Attract Ladybugs?
Feed your ladybug small amounts of raisins, lettuce, or honey every day. Soak 2-3 raisins in water for a couple of minutes to soften them up before dropping them into your habitat. You can also tear half of a leaf of lettuce into small pieces and allow your ladybug to graze.
Lavender – there are many different types of lavender which will attract ladybugs and butterflies. Their spikes of lavender or blue flowers are also prized for their fragrance. Plant them as a hedge in your herb garden, in a mass in a waterwise landscape or in container gardens in full sun.
Citronella or citrus oil, which are oils that can remove ladybugs' scent from your home. This keeps other ladybugs from being attracted to pheromones released by the first ones in your house and can therefore prevent a swarm.
Ladybugs have a strong sense of smell that they use to find mates, food, and overwintering spots. You can use scents they dislike to repel them from your home and garden. Scents like citronella, citrus, cloves, mums, bay leaves, peppermint, camphor, catnip, and lavender keep ladybugs from your home.
Cultivate plants that attract ladybugs, including fennel, caraway, dill, cilantro, yarrow, tansy and dandelions.