How to Release Ladybugs Into the Garden

So, you've decided to cut back on using pesticides in your garden. Good for you! But when you tried releasing ladybugs into your garden to eat aphids, they flew away immediately. Don't give up - here are a few tricks to make these voracious aphid-eaters stick around long enough to get the job done.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Garden Hoses And Attachments
• Garden-hose Nozzles
• Ladybugs

1. Purchase ladybugs from a reputable nursery or mail-order firm.

2. 

   Spray a few drops of water onto the net bag full of ladybugs and place them into the vegetable crisper or your refrigerator as soon as you get them home. The chilling won't harm them, but will slow them down!

3. 

   Go outside and water your garden well. Ladybugs are very thirsty from traveling in a bag for three to five days without any water to drink.

4. 

   Release the ladybugs into your well-watered garden after the sun sets. This will prevent hungry birds from spotting and eating them before the ladybugs get a chance to go to work.

Tips & Warnings

• Once they have had a refreshing drink and a night's rest, the ladybugs will wake up hungry. Nothing eats aphids like a hungry ladybug unless it is a ladybug larva!
• If you use pesticides in your garden, you will kill all of your ladybugs.

[BetsyG5]

on 8/3/2008 What do ladybugs eat besides aphids?