Most species of adult ladybugs are considered beneficial insects for gardeners and farmers. An adult ladybug and larvae will remove aphids, whiteflies, lace bugs, mealybugs, scale, spider mites, grape root worms and the larvae of most other insects. Over its life, a ladybug can consume up to 5,000 aphids or soft bodied insects. Ladybugs will also consume pollen and nectar.
You can attract ladybugs into your garden by providing small flowering plants like bugleweed, butterfly weed, cilantro, dandelion, dill, fennel, oregano and thyme.
You can also purchase ladybugs to release into the garden or your farm. If you purchase ladybugs, you need to release them immediately, or store them in a refrigerator for 1 to 3 weeks. Purchase ladybugs from companies that ship next day with food and water in the packaging.
I purchase mine from a company called the Environmental Factor. They ship overnight
and provide food, water and a cooling pack inside the packaging. This is what you are looking for in a ladybug provider. You can purchase online from Home Depot and Amazon. Environmental Factor supplies the ladybugs for both.
Before releasing the ladybugs into your garden, mist the plants to provide a source of water. You can also mix a few tablespoons of sugar into a spray bottle filled with warm water. This will dramatically increase the amount of ladybugs that will stay in the area and start to reproduce.
Release the ladybugs at sundown, because they rest and don't fly at night. You can spread out the release over the leaves of the plants. If ladybugs fall to the ground, they will climb up the plants to the leaves.
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