Should I release ladybugs in my garden?

The briefing

A WSU Master Gardener column explains why buying and releasing convergent ladybugs is not the garden help it appears to be. Introduced species such as the seven-spotted and Asian ladybug outcompete natives and can eat their larvae, while the convergent ladybugs sold commercially are vacuumed by the millions from mountain overwintering sites. The column recommends lacewings, predatory mites and pirate bugs instead, and above all creating habitat that attracts predators naturally.