Ladybugs aren’t just cute nursery rhyme stars. Beneath the charming spots and vibrant colors lie killer instincts. They’re effective predators and sometime agricultural allies in their hunger for plant pests like aphids. Entomologist Sara Hermann, Ph.D. is investigating how ladybugs’ “perfume”—the chemical cocktail that makes up their odor—might even become a tool for sustainable agriculture.

Join our host and museum curator Jessica Ware, Ph.D., to find out how the delicate dance of predator-prey interactions in the insect world could help protect our crops and gardens. The series is produced for PBS by the American Museum of Natural History.

#Ladybugs #InsectScience #SustainableAgriculture

Image: iStock/undefined undefined

Original Production Funding Provided by National Science Foundation - Grant No. 2120006

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Take the 2023 PBS Survey: https://to.pbs.org/pbssurvey2023t

*****
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateTerra
*****

Subscribe to PBS Terra so you never miss an episode! https://bit.ly/3mOfd77

And keep up with Insectarium and PBS Terra on:
Facebook:   / pbsdigitalstudios  
Instagram:   / pbsds  
TikTok:   / pbsdigitalstudios