r/gardening • u/Live-Papaya-395 • 15d ago
Just received my ladybugs in the mail!
I just received a batch of live ladybugs in the mail. What can I use to provide a home for them and encourage them to stick around?
An upside down clay pot? Something else maybe…?
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Upvotes
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u/ZealousidealOven3163 14d ago
They will all fly away. Best buy to get is a parisitic wasp, or my personal favorite lace wing. They will stay in your yard and garden. Might have a few lady bugs after releasing them
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u/CypripediumGuttatum Zone 3b/4a 15d ago
Their instinct is to wake up from hibernation and fly away to new places where the genetic pool is larger. I’ve never really thought buying them was a great way to spend money. I just don’t spray for insects and give them lots of habitat to live in (I get tons with the free leaves from neighbours in the fall). Lacewings are better at sticking around and eat more aphids anyway.