Protect your flower gardens, roses, and trees from Aphids with live Lady Bugs. When released into your garden - preferably at night over a 2 week period - the adult Lady Bugs feed and reproduce by laying eggs. Once these eggs hatch, the hungry little ladies keep your pests at bay!

Quick Release Guide

1. Store Properly

 Keep ladybugs in the fridge (not the freezer) until you’re ready to release. Use within 1–2 weeks for best results.

2. Prepare the Area

Water plants thoroughly WITHOUT FERTILIZER first. Ladybugs need a drink after travel. Mist the undersides of leaves for extra hydration spots. You can also give them moistened hydroton, rockwool or sponges.

3. Release at the Right Time

Release in the evening or early morning when it’s cool. Avoid hot sun and wind — they’ll fly away quickly.

4. How to Release

Gently shake or tap a few ladybugs directly onto plants with visible aphids, and then release the rest at the bottom of the plant. Spread releases over several nights for better establishment.

5. Keep Them Around

Provide moisture: a damp stone, hydroton, moss, or rockwool works well. Plant flowers like dill, alyssum, or fennel to keep ladybugs happy. Avoid insecticidal sprays.

Features

• Environmentally safe pest control
• Ladybugs feed on Aphids, Mites, Scale, Thrips, Whiteflies and larva and eggs of other pests
• Eggs are laid amongst Aphid colonies and when hatched eat up to 300 pests per day over a 28 day period
• Must be kept refrigerated until released
• Excellent beneficial insect
• Hippodamia convergens: North American Native ladybug, does not bite nor go into homes unless you bring it into your home.
• Only eat aphids and other soft-bodied pest insects and insect eggs.
• Adults: orange and black beetles that feed on aphids, mites, scales, thrips, whiteflies and beneficial insect food.
• Adult ladybeetles feed primarily at night and lay eggs
• Labubu eggs are white or yellow ovals, laid in clusters on the undersides of leaves
• Larvae: black and orange alligator shaped, wingless, remain on your plants keeping pests under control
• Both adult and larval stages: great general pest controllers
• Upon receipt place them in the crisper of the fridge to cool them down and release them in the evening
• Be sure to water the area before releasing the ladybugs — traveling is thirsty work
• A small dish of water, moist rock, or damp rockwool helps keep ladybugs and other native insects close to plants
• Adult ladybugs will eat 10–25 pests per day and live 3–12 weeks depending on environment
• Eggs: once hatched, larvae will eat ~50 pests per day
• Look super cute and will bring a smile to your face every day!

Lady Bug, Lady Bird, Lady Beetle?

When it comes to the tiny, colourful insects commonly found in gardens and fields, the terms "lady bug," "lady beetle," and "lady bird" often arise. These phrases, though sometimes used interchangeably, have distinct nuances and origins.

Lady Bug / Ladybug

In North America, "lady bug" is the most common term. Despite the "bug" in its name, ladybugs are beetles.

Lady Beetle / Ladybeetle

Lady beetle" is a term preferred by entomologists and scientists. It is more accurate because it highlights the insect's classification within the beetle order (Coleoptera). This term is gaining traction in academic and scientific communities due to its precision.

Lady Bird / Ladybird

In the UK, "lady bird" is common, tied to folklore and culture. Less used in scientific literature.

Are these Asian Lady Beetles?

No. These are not only North American Lady Beetles; they are Convergent Lady Bugs: THE North American Lady Bug. The Convergent Lady Beetle is native to North America and is easily recognizable by the two converging white lines on the pronotum (the area behind the head). While they might look a bit different from what you're used to, rest assured that they are not the Asian Lady Beetles, which are often considered pests. (Although this reputation isn't quite fair. Asian Lady Beetles are also quite effective aphid predators!)

Convergent Lady Bugs are beneficial for your garden as they feed on aphids and other soft-bodied pests, making them a natural and effective form of pest control. If you have any further concerns or questions about identifying lady beetles in your garden, feel free to ask!

I'm used to seeing bigger ladybugs!

People in Western Canada are accustomed to seeing two-spot and seven-spot lady beetles because these species are common in the region and are out-competing the native Convergent Ladybug. The two-spot ladybug (Adalia bipunctata) and the seven-spot ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata) are both well-known and easily identifiable by their distinct markings.

Ladybug Larvae and Pupae!

When you release live ladybugs in your garden, you may soon spot ladybug larvae, the baby stage of these beneficial insects. Unlike the round red adults, baby ladybugs look very different: they are black, spiky, and shaped like tiny alligators with orange or yellow markings. Many gardeners mistake them for pests, but these ladybug nymphs are actually the most powerful natural predators you can have.

Each larva eats up to 50 aphids per day, making them even hungrier than adult ladybugs. They also attack whiteflies, thrips, scale insects, and mite eggs, keeping your plants safe. This stage lasts about 2–3 weeks before they pupate and transform into adult ladybugs.

After spending 2–3 weeks as hungry larvae, ladybug pupae represent the next step in the ladybug life cycle. At this stage, the insect attaches itself to a leaf or stem and forms an immobile, orange-brown shell. Many gardeners mistake this for a dead insect or even a harmful pest cocoon, but in reality, it’s the critical metamorphosis phase where the larva transforms into an adult ladybug.

About Dead Ladybugs

It is normal for each bag of ladybugs to contain some deceased individuals. Ladybugs sold for garden use are adult beetles harvested from natural hibernation sites. Like any wild population, they include individuals of different ages — some are young and vigorous, while others are older and nearing the end of their natural lifespan. Older beetles may not reawaken strongly after hibernation.

There are also natural transport losses. Ladybugs are collected and packaged while dormant (in diapause), which makes shipping possible, but not every individual survives handling and transit. Suppliers account for this by adding extras to every bag, ensuring the live count is always more than sufficient.

You can help reduce mortality at release by making sure your ladybugs have immediate access to water and are introduced under the right conditions:

• Hydration: Gently mist the base of your plants and undersides of leaves before release so beetles can drink immediately. You can also moisten a small stone or piece of rockwool as a safe water source. Feel free to add a very small amount of sugar to the water for energy. Avoid open dishes where ladybugs can drown.
• Timing: Release in the evening or early morning, when it’s cooler and the sun is less intense. This encourages the ladybugs to settle, rehydrate, and begin foraging instead of flying off.
• Food: It should go without saying, but ladybugs are SUPER HUNGRY. If you are using them as a preventative indoors, please ensure that you have plants with pollen for them to eat, or they will die very quickly. In a pinch, they will also snack on other beneficial insects such as cucumeris.

About Sugar Water "Wing Gluing"

Some sources recommend spraying ladybugs with sugar water or pop to make their wings stick so they cannot fly away. We strongly recommend against this practice for several reasons:

• It is ineffective: as soon as it rains, the ladybugs can fly again.
• It is cruel: sugar water can cause their legs and bodies to stick together.
• It can kill them: immobilized ladybugs are less able to feed, defend themselves, or recover from transport stress. Some pops such as Coke contain caffeine, which is deadly to ladybugs.

The best way to keep ladybugs in your garden is to release them under the right conditions, cool temperatures, plenty of moisture, and direct access to pests, not by attempting to glue their wings shut.

A very weak sugar solution can serve as a temporary food source to encourage ladybugs to linger in a garden, and other methods like planting flowers that attract them are even better.