Things You'll Need:
- Refrigerator
- Garden hose and source of water
-
Step 1
Know that the adult ladybug not only eats about 1000 aphids per day. In addition, the female lays up to 50 eggs per day, and the larvae from those eggs consume as many as 400 aphids per day. When you control aphids with ladybugs, you get a built-in, continuous supply of pest-controlling predators.
-
Step 2
Purchase about 4500 ladybugs for 3000 square feet to control aphids (see Resources below). This allows 4 per square yard over three releases.
-
Step 3
Keep the number of ladybugs within the optimum described above. If you release too many ladybugs, there won't be enough aphids to supply food for their survival and that of their larvae.
-
Step 4
Ship ladybugs overnight if your daytime temperatures are above 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The ladybugs are more active in warm environments. They need food to remain active, so you want to get them into the garden as soon as possible when you receive your shipment.
-
Step 5
Release your ladybugs after the sun goes down or before it rises. Ladybugs use the sun for navigation, so releasing them in darkness ensures they stay on your property.
-
Step 6
Keep the ladybugs in their packaging and refrigerate them when they arrive. The cooling-off makes them less active, keeps them from wandering away when released and encourages them to make a home on your property.
-
Step 7
Make your ladybugs stick with you by watering your garden before you release them. The ladybugs prefer a place that offers both food and water.
