LADY
YBUGS (Hip
ppodamia convergen
ns)
Use: Lad
dybugs prefe
er to eat aph
hids and will devour up to
o 50 a day, but they will
also attack
a
scale, mealy bugss, boil worm
ms, leafhoppe
er, and corn ear worm. They
T
dine
only on
o insects and do not ha
arm vegetatiion in any way.
Release: Ladybugs should
s
always be releassed after sun
ndown since
e they only flyy
in the
e daytime. During
D
the nig
ght, they willl search the area for foo
od and stay as
a long as
there
e is food for them
t
to eat. The more th
hey eat, the more eggs they
t
lay and
d the more
insecct eating larv
vae you will have.
h
It is be
est if the are
ea has been recently wattered.
Ladybugs tend to
o crawl up an
nd toward lig
ght. So relea
ase them in small groupss at the base
e
of pla
ants and shrubs that havve aphids or other insectts, and in the
e lower part of trees.
Recomm
mendations: Ladybugs may
m be keptt in the refrig
gerator after they are
receivved (35-40 degrees
d
F.) and released as needed
d. Ladybugs received March through
h
May should
s
not be
b stored mo
ore than 2 to
o 3 days sincce their bodyy fat has bee
en depleted.
From
m June on, th
hey may be stored
s
2 to 3 months.
It is normal for there to
t be severa
al dead Ladyybugs in the container, especially
e
those
e received from March th
hrough May.. These bugss have reach
hed the end of their life
cycle
e. We have in
ncluded man
ny extra bug
gs to compen
nsate for thiss.
Life Cycle: Ladybug
gs mate in th
he spring and
d lay yellow eggs in clussters of 10 to
o
50 on
n the unders
side of leaves. About five
e days later the larvae emerge and will
w eat abou
ut
400 aphids
a
during their 2.5 week
w
cycle. The
T larvae lo
ook like tiny black caterp
pillars with
orang
ge spots butt do not eat vegetation.
v
The larvae then pupa
ate and emerrge from the
eir cocoon ass adults after about a
weekk. They begin
n feeding on
n aphids, oth
her insects, and
a pollen to
o build up their body fat.
In the
e summer an
nd fall the La
adybugs mig
grate into the
e mountains and during the winter
they lie dormant under the sn
now. In the early
e
spring they fly backk down to the lowlands
to ressume search
hing for food
d in earnest. They begin mating, lay eggs, and die.
d
These Ladybugs have
e been pre-ffed a specia
al protein diet which indiccated to them
m
that they
t
have alrready reached the lowla
ands and sho
ould continue feeding im
mmediately.
This retards theirr natural insttinct to fly wh
hen released
d.
Other Orcon
O
Products Availa
able:
Aphytis Melinus
F
Flea
Destroye
er
Benificial Ne
ematodes Fly
F Parasites
Cryptolaemus
G
Green
Lacew
wings
Decollate Snails
Lady Bugs
Delphastus Pusillus Praying
P
Manttids
Earth Worm
ms
P
Predatory
Mittes
Earthworm Castings
C
T
Trichogramm
ma
Encarisa Fo
ormosa
Diviision of Organiic Control, Inc.
LO
OS ANGELES
S, CA 90016
IN
[email protected]
w
www.organicc
ontrol.com