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Fascinating Ladybug Facts!
Some Basic Information
• She really isn’t a ladybug, rather a ladybird beetle.
• Her scientific name is Hippodamia convergens.
• There are over 600 different kinds of ladybugs.
• She is one of the most common beneficial insects.
• Some farmers use ladybugs to eat the bad bugs in their fields instead of using pesticides.
• Ladybugs can be found anywhere from southern Canada to South America.
• Ladybugs can be white, yellow, pink, orange, red or black.
The Ladybug Lifecycle
• Ladybugs lay their eggs one week after mating.
• Eggs are laid near aphids so the larvae have food to eat.
• She can lay 50 eggs in a day and 1000 in her lifetime.
• The lifecycle of a ladybug (egg to adult) takes approximately 2 to 3 weeks.
• She looks like a small alligator in the larval stage.
• After she’s born, her spots take 12 hours to appear.
• Ladybugs go through one generation per year.
• Ladybugs hibernate during the Winter.
Adult Ladybug Facts
• She can eat up to 5,000 aphids in her lifetime.
• She can secrete an odor to warn off predators.
• Ladybugs can have up to 13 spots on their backs.
• Ladybugs have two pairs of wings.
• A ladybug uses her hind wings for flying.
• Ladybugs clean themselves after eating.
• Ladybugs have six legs.
• In the wild, a ladybug can live up to a year.
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Put your cup of ladybugs into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This will cause the ladybugs to slow down and will ensure a minimal amount of potential escapees during transfer into the Ladybug Lodge. This will not hurt your ladybugs.
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Your Ladybug Lodge Includes:
Portable Ladybug Lodge observation house.
Free certificate to mail for 75 - 100 live ladybugs.
This instruction guide with ladybug facts.
Ladybug experiment book.
Magnifying lens for up-close observation.
Clear plastic tube to use in your experiments.
Eyedropper to water your ladybugs.
Extra-big, fun ladybug paper chain.
Getting Started
Before mailing the ladybug certificate, make sure you are ready to receive the live ladybugs. Please allow for any school breaks, holidays, or extended weekends that may interrupt the project. Write your name and address on the certificate and mail it to the address listed. Please allow 1 - 3 weeks for delivery.
PLEASE NOTE:
LIVE LADYBUGS ARE UNAVAILABLE FROM MARCH THROUGH MAY. Don’t mail your certificate during these months, unless you want Insect Lore to hold your certificate and ship as soon as ladybugs are available, in June!
When Your Ladybugs Arrive
Your ladybugs will arrive in a cardboard box that you will need to open immediately. Inside is a container with 75-100 live ladybugs. Put your cup of ladybugs into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This will cause the ladybugs to slow down and will ensure a minimal amount of potential escapees during transfer into the Ladybug Lodge. This will not hurt your ladybugs.
Assembling The Ladybug Lodge
If you haven’t already done so, now would be a good time to assemble the Ladybug Lodge. Here’s how:
1. Your Lodge arrives packed flat. To make it stand up, simply press in on the two bottom corners. The bottom will automatically close. Fold down the floor and lock its tabs into the base of the walls all around – be sure the floor is tight, or ladybugs may escape later! If you see any gaps at all, take a moment to seal them with tape.
2. Fold the handle over so it’s “double thick” – the long, rectangular end will go inside the attic of the Lodge.
Push in the chimney and blue-framed window so the folded tops of the long side walls come together, as in figure B. Bend the long tab atop the wall without the handle so it tucks into the wall with the handle.
3. Secure the three tabs over the top of the Lodge, hooking each tab’s pop-out “tab-within-the-tab” into the slit in the wall.
Push the outer two tabs’ ends into the lower slits in the wall. If you like, use a little scotch tape to keep the tabs in place.
Preparing The Ladybug Lodge For Your Ladybugs
Before putting the ladybugs into the lodge, you must prepare their food and water. Get between 10 and 15 raisins. Soak them in water for about 5 minutes. Blot them dry on a paper towel. Now cut them in half and spread them throughout the floor of the lodge. This should keep your ladybugs fed for a very long time. If you have plant leaves with aphids on them, you can put these into the lodge. Ladybugs love to eat aphids.
NOTE: Do not put any plant leaves into the Lodge that have been sprayed with insecticides. Your ladybugs will certainly die if exposed to poison! If you’re not sure if your leaves have poisons on them, you should not put them into the Lodge.
Now take the enclosed eyedropper. Fill with water and squirt ONCE OR TWICE inside the floor of the lodge. DO NOT OVER WATER! Too much water can damage the cardboard structure of the Lodge. Overwatering is the Number One reason your ladybugs may escape!
Transferring Your Ladybugs Into The Ladybug Lodge
Once the Ladybug Lodge has been assembled, it is time to put your ladybugs into their new home. After 30 minutes in the refrigerator, take the ladybug cup out but LEAVE THE LID ON! Gently tap on the lid of the cup to dislodge any ladybugs that may be on the underside of the lid. Before the cup warms up, open the lid then lower the cup into the lodge. Tip the cup upside down releasing the ladybugs onto the floor of the lodge. Quickly remove the cup. Reinsert your hand and remove the straw and the cotton wick at this time. If you don’t get all the straw out, it’s OK. Now quickly secure the lid of the lodge. If a few escape during transfer, try to put them back into the lodge one-at-a-time.
Feeding and Watering Tips
The raisins should feed your ladybugs for a long time. Keep your eye on the raisins. If and when they disappear, put a few more raisins in as before. Make sure to water with JUST ONE SQUIRT OF WATER every day. When watering, insert the tip of the eyedropper into any of the air holes in the lodge and squirt anywhere on the floor. After you water, take a tissue and wipe the excess water off the edge of the lodge. When too much water soaks into the cardboard, these air vents can expand - causing an escape route for the ladybugs. Use different holes each time so the cardboard doesn’t deteriorate.
Experimenting With Ladybugs
Take the experiment tube and poke about 10 air holes in the tube with a ball point pen. This will allow the ladybugs to breathe. Now remove the plastic clips on top of the lodge and slowly open the top. Let a few ladybugs crawl out, capture them, and put them into your tube.
Re-close the lodge. After your experiments, either return the ladybugs to the lodge or release them.
Releasing Your Ladybugs
Take the lodge outdoors, open the box, and let them fly. Make sure the temperatures are above 55º before releasing. If you're releasing your ladybugs into your garden for natural pest control (a great idea!), waiting until morning is best because your ladybugs will like the higher humidity at that time, and will stay in your garden longer. If it is Winter, keep them in the lodge for their lifespan.
Questions & Answers
How long does it take for my ladybugs to arrive?
When our ladybugs are in stock, expect 1 to 3 weeks for delivery. Insect Lore cannot ship ladybugs from March through May.
Why can’t I get ladybugs from March through May?
Our ladybugs are collected during overwintering months. In March, April and May the ladybugs leave these areas to mate and feed. We really don’t want to bother them during this time and wait until their vacation is over, in June.
How long will my ladybugs live?
If you keep them in the lodge, approximately 2 to 3 weeks. In the wild, they can live up to a year.
If I have a dead ladybug in the lodge, what should I do?
We suggest leaving her in the lodge until you release all of the live ladybugs. If you try to remove a dead ladybug, the live ladybugs may escape.
How long should I keep the ladybugs in the lodge?
We suggest releasing them after one week. Make sure temperatures are above 55º before releasing. If it is Winter, keep you ladybugs inside the lodge for their entire life span.
Can I hold a ladybug?
Yes. Be careful when opening the lodge. You don’t want too many escapees!
What are the spots I see on the inside of the windows?
This is a bit of the fluid they naturally exude. This sticky, stinky fluid comes from their feet, making them taste bad to their enemies.
How often should I water and feed the ladybugs?
Make sure you have at least 10 raisins cut in half when first putting your ladybugs into the lodge. This should keep them fed for a week. If the raisins disappear, cut some more and put them in. Water your ladybugs daily. (See feeding instructions).
What should I do if my ladybugs are escaping?
When properly assembled, the Ladybug Lodge is virtually escape proof. However, if you notice a few escapees, spend a few minutes looking carefully at the lodge. Once you determine their escape route, take a few pieces of scotch tape and secure the spot of escape. (See “ESCAPE WARNING” notes on the other side of this brochure).
Why do my ladybugs bunch together?
Ladybugs are sociable insects. At certain times during the year, ladybugs enter a resting period. This phase occurs when the ladybugs have a reserve of stored fat within their bodies. When the fat reserve has been depleted, the ladybugs will become more active.
Do the ladybugs have enough air?
Yes. Notice the pre-punched air holes in the windows above the door and in the upper chimney.
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Assembling the Ladybug Lodge: Steps 1 through 3
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Don't forget to put your ladybugs into the Lodge before you close the top!
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ESCAPE WARNING
When properly assembled, the Ladybug Lodge is virtually escape proof. However, if you notice a few ladybug escapees, spend a few minutes looking carefully at the lodge. Once you determine their escape route, take a few pieces of scotch tape and secure the spot of escape.
Look for water damage to your Lodge. Excessive water damage to the lodge, usually around the holes, is the biggest reason for escapees.
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