@kimmq

Do you have any recommendations for a water source? I read a moist paper towel is a good idea.

As for food, do you know which flowers they may enjoy or which might attract them? Unfortunately an aphid source of food will be plentiful for them in my garden based on the last two years.

Thank you

All flowers and shrubs, anything that would attract the Aphids, mites, White Fly, scale, and other insect pests they eat. Lady Beetles do not eat flowers or the pollen those flowers produce.

Water sources can range from the dew on plants to bird baths to misters.

Aphids attract ladybugs - the adults eat aphids, as do the larvae. So don't do anything to kill off aphids - no "natural aphid soaps" or anything.

Also aphid eaters, syrphid fly larvae. With them the adults are nectar and pollen eaters, so flat daisy-like flowers help.

Aphids are not the only food source for the Lady Beetles, aka Ladybugs. Mites, White Fly, Scale and other plant pests fall within the dietary guidelines for them.

http://www.ladybug-life-cycle.com/what-ladybugs-eat.html

My desire to attract lady Beatles is because they haven't heard about the aphids Buffett in my garden the last few years. I'd like attract and notify them. Haha

Aphid lions also known as green lacewings are voracious consumers of all aphids--one lion eats many hundred aphids a week

. But since our garden is a Monarch Waystation, we don't increase the number of predators as either ladybugs and aphid lions would eat 1st instar catepillars (cats). Parasitic wasps kill more than 90% of monarch cats--so we find them and raise them in protective cages. Since Monarchs lay eggs on milkweed which their cats devour (voraciously), we have lots of milkweed. Milkweed is also a favorite of oleander aphids, so we have habitual problems with them aphids. We hose them off. My thinking is if you have any kids around the neighborhood, they'd have a ball hunting and blasting aphids and themselves with the garden hose. Buy them an ice cream when the truck rolls by. (We tag our Monarchs as pictured. This one is on one of their favorite nectar sources--Old Fashioned Zinnias.)

Buying them on eBay may also be a good idea. There are plenty of ladybug sellers on eBay. Recently I bought 500 ladybugs for $4, but I couldn't utilize fully. They arrived pretty much all alive then I kept them in my room for a couple of days then I realized that most of them were dead. So I would recommend getting them and putting them on the job right away. i would do it once a month or so based on how often you need and it will take care of it. If you have a good habitat they will stay. Based on what you are saying they will stay. Even though I had left around 20-40 at the time I put them on the job a few days later I still saw a few in the garden. Also make sure to release them at sundown so at least they will stay and eat till morning.

I hope it helps.

Thanks

Buying Ladybugs on line, or from any other mail order source is NOT a good idea. Most all of those Ladybugs sold are trapped in the wild, not raised by the seller, and they could have a disease that you would introduce to your native population. Many people that have bought Ladybugs from on line sources have reported that they fly away almost as soon as they are released.

If a gardener makes the effort to build a Ladybug habitat they will come in without you having to purchase them.

Unless you have a greenhouse, buying lady bugs is rather silly. They will not hang around a garden. They will naturally disperse rather quickly. If your garden has no source of food, they certainly will leave., If your garden does have a source of food, they are already there. Don't get suckered into buying ladybug houses either. They don't need them, don't use them and almost all of what are sold at garden stores and on line are not habitable in the first place. Greenhouse suppliers sell ladybugs for greenhouse growers if you are one of hose. Most of those sold this way are of a different species than native populations. So for most of you, just grow some milkweed which will attract aphids which attract lady bugs and lace wings. If aphids get out of hand, hose them off and set out ant baits (since ants farm aphids). Monarchs will lay eggs and their cats will feed on the milkweed if you are in their breeding area which is rather extensive.