The Webster Viridarium
While in theory a grand idea, in practice, purchasing live ladybugs online or from a local garden stores is largely a waste of your money.
After an autumn of hearty eating, ladybugs go off to slumber with a full belly often many miles from the flower filled gardens they called home. They typically hibernate in large communal groups of many millions of ladybugs.
In most cases, the ladybugs available for purchase were captured during this hibernation period. Large numbers of hibernating ladybugs are vacuumed up and then refrigerated until distributed for sale.
They awake in unfamiliar surroundings, not hungry because of their winter reserves, and fly off in search of new flower filled gardens to call home.
Within 48 hours, less than 5% of the ladybugs released into your garden are still there.
It’s a noble idea. Nobody hates pesticides more than us.
Creating an environment where ladybugs populate your garden naturally is a better approach.
As well as eating aphids and spider mites, ladybugs also feed on plant nectar and pollen. Growing plants in the apiaceae family like dill, coriander, fennel, and the daisy family like sunflowers and yarrow will invite ladybugs to your yard. Visit our “Attracting Ladybugs” page to learn more.
Nicole Burke of gardenary.com sharing why buying ladybugs doesn’t work.
Further reading:
Tom Kalb of North Dakota State University’s Extension has a great article on what happens when you release ladybugs onto your property.
Inaturalist’s awesome database of Ladybug species across the United States.
