Spring brings out an odd assortment of turf problems, with persistent Necrotic Ring Spot and mites headlining the show. But this year I got called out to a lawn where something special is going on – I had the rare treat of seeing greenbugs in action.
Greenbugs (Schizaphis graminum) are aphids that suck the sap out of lawns, turning the grass a rusty orange color. Like many outbreaks of aphids, this one is accompanied by Ladybug larvae 
doing their best to eat them. Upon seeing the hundreds of ladybugs on thousands of aphids crawling across the lawn, the only thing I could utter was “cool!”
If only the homeowner was as thrilled as I was.
You see, the scene playing itself out in his front yard is better than any reality show drama; there was birth, death, hunting and foraging, all accessorized by a backdrop of translucent orange grass that glows in angled light. When you don’t see this often, it’s nifty.
But the homeowner wanted a solution to this problem, after all, these greenbugs were killing the lawn. The largest spot was nestled under a large pine tree, with a few smaller spots under the Ash. This is common here, with trees providing some type of buffer that lets the greenbugs survive some winters. In all, the orange greenbug spot was 10 feet long by five feet wide, and I could understand why this was disturbing the homeowner.
Fortunately the cavalry had arrived, and the ladybugs were doing a good job of cleanup; my main challenge was helping the homeowner to accept that, if given time, those ladybugs would clean up the mess. Armies of insects duking it out on the lawn isn’t everyone’s suburban dream show.
He was very positive about the process and willing to let nature take it’s course, once he crouched down to see the ladybugs in action. 
There’s nothing like watching the black-with-orange spotted, spiky creatures wind around grassblades to chomp an unsuspecting aphid.
In other areas of the country, greenbugs are a much bigger issue, but in Colorado, they’re more of a novelty. Our winters are usually too cold for them, and this colony probably won’t survive another year. So the homeowner has agreed to wait it out, and reseed in a few weeks when the dust settles out there.
Gardening after five 
Wait–I’m confused. Is the long, black and orange thing shown in the last photo, a ladybug larva? Surely you jest! Ladybugs are dainty, flying creatures that everyone adores. Sorry–if this is the larvae, well, it’s just wrong.
Yes, Martha, that black and orange ‘thing’ is a ladybug larvae, but don’t be quick to judge based on appearance. Though we extoll the adult as a cuddly hero of the garden, they really are predators. The young just look like it.
It is crazy how the larvae stage and the adult stage of ladybugs change so much in appearance. I find ladybugs extremely helpful in my garden, in Arizona. I’ve only recently noticed them out there, but I hear it can be bad if they hibernate in your home in the winter. So I’m hoping they stay outside through summer and move else where by fall.
I agree, Katie, that the change from spiney and ferocious to adorable and slightly plump is astonishing for ladybugs to do. Most of the time, they overwinter in the mulch and don’t bother homes over winter, but a newer species to come to the US shores is the multi-colored Asian ladybug. This one does like to cozy up with us in fall, and spends the winter strolling the house. They can stain furniture and drapery if startled – one of their defenses is to excrete a caustic liquid that gets predators like birds to leave them alone. Keep your weather stripping snug around windows and doors to prevent them from coming inside.
Yeah I read about that when I did some research on ladybugs on localpestcontrolservices.com. Which is exactly why I want them to stay outside, and eat aphids.