Lady Bug to Help Save Israeli Plant

Article: Parasites that prey on Sabra cactus in northern Israel are a huge problem. So Israel has enlisted the help of an unlikely predator: ladybugs. The parasite, called an Etzbarit, is attacking sabra shrubs in the Hula valley. It likes to eat the prickly pear fruit that grows on Sabra cactus. (Kids: have you ever tasted a sabra fruit?) The Sabra bush is important to Israel because it was imported 200 years ago and is famous for being emblematic of the Israeli character (prickly on the outside; sweet on the inside). Scientists have therefore released 150,000 predatory ladybugs, raised at a nearby Kibbutz, to kill the parasite. The ladybugs were originally bred decades ago to curb a beetle population. Now they will serve a new purpose.

Questions:

• Define prey and predator. Give other examples of prey and predators in nature. 
• How can a ladybug solve the predator problem? 
• Are there any other problems that could result from release 150,000 ladybugs into the atmosphere?