UIC marks Arbor Day by releasing beneficial insects

Thousands of lady beetles and lacewings were released at UIC on April 24 to mark Arbor Day, a nationwide observance when people are encouraged to plant trees to promote a sustainable environment for the future.

Nearly 100 UIC students and staff joined Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda and arborist Erik Grossnickle from Bartlett Tree Experts on the Quad for the release of the beneficial insects, which will support the university’s tree canopy and stimulate a healthy ecosystem. Lady beetles and lacewings eat insects that damage trees, and they reduce the need for chemical remedies.

UIC’s impressive tree inventory — more than 3,600 trees of roughly 100 species — has won the university recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus Higher Education since 2011. To maintain this status, the university must meet five standards, including hosting a campus Arbor Day celebration.

Grossnickle sprayed the base of a magnolia tree with non-caffeinated Sprite to demonstrate how the sugar in the drink attracts the insects. Sure enough, when he and Miranda released four bottles of lady beetles, they flew and crawled to the base of the tree. 

Lady beetles eat species like aphids, mites and their eggs that damage trees and plants. The lacewing, another beneficial insect, was distributed to the crowd in what Grossnickle called “insect condominiums,” small cardboard carriers that housed the bugs in individual spaces. Like the lady beetle, lacewings are a natural predator of destructive species. The crowd then took turns distributing the lacewings at the base of campus trees.

Miranda told the gathering that, as a beekeeper, she is familiar with the benefits insects can provide and is committed to advancing sustainable practices on campus. She also reinforced the university’s commitment to being a good environmental steward and providing continued leadership through its Tree Campus and Bee Campus programs.

Grossnickle has worked with UIC since 2012 with an emphasis on maintainable habits in arboriculture, the science-based care of trees. UIC Planning, Sustainability and Project Management organized the event.

See more photos below from the event.

— Sherry Krsticevic, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services