How to Harvest Ladybugs
Ladybugs are considered a gardener's friends because they are natural predators of many common garden pests. Ladybugs eat aphids. The average adult ladybug can eat 50 to 60 aphids each day, supplementing its diet with mealybugs, spider mites and beetle eggs. Because of their voracious appetite for unwelcome insects, many gardeners maximize the potential of this low-cost, chemical-free way to control the pest population by releasing harvested ladybugs into their gardens. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Ladybug-friendly plants
- Wheast solution
- Beating tray
- Light tent
- Collection net
- Ladybug house
Instructions
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Harvesting Ladybugs
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Attract ladybugs to your yard or garden. Grow plants that draw ladybugs. They particularly like those with umbrella-shaped flowers, such as dill, angelica, fennel and yarrow. Other plants that will attract ladybugs to your garden include cosmos, geraniums and dandelions. You may also spray your plants with a commercially produced ladybug attractant or wheast, a combination of whey and yeast that provides ladybugs with an artificial diet.
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Collect the ladybugs that you have enticed into your yard using one of several methods. Beat tree branches or brush and collect insects and debris in a beating tray. Light traps collect all sorts of insects in large quantity, including ladybugs. Place netting or cheesecloth over a light, then turn the light on after dark. The net provides a place for the insects to land without them burning up on the light bulb. Sweep your yard for ladybugs with a butterfly or fishing net by swishing the net in a scooping motion over the tops of vegetation. Have a jar handy and put the ladybugs in it as you collect them.
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Store your ladybugs in clean glass jars in a refrigerator. Ideal storage temperature is 35 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. During winter months, when the bugs are naturally dormant, they may be stored for two or three months. If you harversted your bugs in summer, they will need to be taken out of storage and released sooner.
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Encourage ladybugs to continue making their home in your yard by providing them with a ladybug-friendly environment. Ladybug houses imitate their natural shelters and will give them a place to safely lay eggs and hibernate over the winter. Avoid using harsh pesticides, which can wipe out your ladybug population. Soap-based sprays are the only insecticides that won't harm ladybugs.
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Tips & Warnings
Ladybugs are also sold commercially. Depending on your pest control needs, purchasing larger quantities of ladybugs may be a more time-saving, cost-effective way to introduce ladybugs into your yard.
References
- Photo Credit ladybug image by Andrzej Włodarczyk from Fotolia.com
