Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Keeping and Feeding the Ladybug
• Method 2 of 2: Catching Ladybugs
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need
• Keeping and feeding a ladybug
• Catching ladybugs

You might not know, but ladybugs are good pets - they are beautiful and quiet, easy to catch, and don't require a lot of space. While these brightly colored beetles feel great in the wild, you can easily create a comfortable environment for them in your home. To meet their basic needs, all they need is a spacious, closed container with twigs and rocks to recreate their natural habitat, as well as enough food and water. In the fall, it is better to release the ladybirds into the wild so that they can overwinter and produce offspring.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Keeping and Feeding the Ladybug

1. 1 Prepare a closed container for the ladybug to live in. A miniature terrarium or insect crate works well for this, although you can also use a large plastic container for storing food or even the box you trapped the ladybug in. Ladybugs love to fly and crawl around, so the more spacious the dwelling, the better. It is desirable that its area is at least 0.1 square meter.
   • A ladybug can be moved from a temporary container to her new home using a soft bristled brush.
   • Make holes in the dwelling so that air can pass through them, but the ladybug cannot get through.
2. 2 Put some twigs, stones or shells in the dwelling so that the ladybug has a place to hide. Place materials on the bottom of the box that are typical of the natural habitat of the ladybug: grass, leaves, branches, small stones. Arrange them the way you like. In this case, the ladybug can always hide when she wants.
   • If you can't find natural materials that work, you can use a few small folded pieces of cardboard.
   • Various branches and stones will serve as funny obstacles, and the ladybug will move a lot more.
3. 3 Give the ladybug some raisins, lettuce, or honey daily. Soak 2-3 raisins in water for a couple of minutes before placing them in the ladybug's home. You can also rip half of the lettuce into small pieces and let your pet chew them. Another option is to mix a coin-sized ball of honey with 2-3 drops of water in a bottle cap.
   • To prevent the ladybug from overeating, feed her 1-2 times a day.
   • Keep in mind that ladybugs eat a lot compared to their own size, so if you keep multiple insects, give them enough food to keep them from starving.
   • In the wild, ladybugs feed on aphids. If you are going to keep the ladybug for longer than 1–2 weeks, it is advisable to catch or buy some aphids so that your pet feels normal. Aphids can often be found on the same plant species that you caught the ladybug on.
4. 4 Place a damp towel or sponge in the ladybug dwelling as a water source. Dampen a paper towel or sponge well and squeeze out excess water. Ladybugs drink a little, so this is enough for them to quench their thirst for several days.
   • Check the water source about every two days and change or re-wet it as soon as it feels dry to the touch.
   • Make sure that there is no standing water in your pet's home. Ladybugs are very small and can drown even in a shallow puddle.

   Option: Fill a spray bottle with clean water and spray the walls of the box every day. The thin layer of moisture that has settled is enough for the ladybirds to get drunk.

   
   
5. 5 Release the ladybug after a few days so that it can return to its natural habitat. Ladybugs are quite comfortable indoors, but their real home is the outside world.Some of them may be worse off in captivity than others - they may constantly hide, behave anxiously or sluggishly, and show signs of stress. No matter how difficult it is, it is best to return the ladybug to its natural environment after a while.
   • You can keep the ladybug out a little longer if you provide it with adequate food, water, and adequate space to play and hide.
   • Try to release the ladybug in late summer while it's still warm. Otherwise, it will be difficult for her to find food and shelter.

Method 2 of 2: Catching Ladybugs

1. 1 Look for ladybugs in dense vegetation. These beetles can often be seen on leaves, blades of grass and other plant parts. They prefer warm, humid places such as fields and lawns, and gardens and orchards. If you are going to catch ladybugs on someone else's private property, get permission beforehand.
   • Your best bet is to look for ladybugs in late spring or early summer when things start to bloom.
   • With a cold snap, ladybugs often hide under stones, inside hollow trees, in the openings of houses and other structures to keep warm.
2. 2 The easiest way is to carefully pick up the ladybug with your hand. In most cases, in order to catch a ladybug, it is enough to reach out and take it out of the shelter. Once the ladybug is in your hands, place it in your palm and fold it in a boat to prevent the insect from slipping out.
   • If you are afraid of damaging the ladybug, you can put your palm next to it and wait for it to crawl onto it.
   • Ladybugs are small, fragile creatures, so be careful not to pinch, squeeze or squeeze the insect too hard.
3. 3 Use a landing net to catch several ladybugs at the same time. Take a small butterfly net and slowly slide it over the tops of tall grasses or flowering plant leaves to catch the ladybirds lurking there. If that doesn't work, bring the net under a deciduous tree and jiggle or beat the branches to catch the falling bugs.
   • If you don't have a landing net, you can use an upside-down umbrella or tarp to collect insects from the dense foliage instead.
4. 4 Make your own simple ladybug feeder to fly to you. Hang a piece of bamboo, cardboard or PVC tubing outside, and place a handful of wet raisins inside. Raisins will attract nearby ladybirds, and the pipe will serve as a place for them to live, play, mate and rest.
   • A ladybug feeder can be made from just about any pipe-like object, including a glass or used aluminum can. If you want your feeder to withstand rain and other bad weather, use a more durable material such as bamboo, PVC or metal.

   Advice: A well-made ladybug feeder can be the ideal home for the ladybugs to provide food and shelter for insects at any time of the day or night.

   
   
5. 5 Lure ladybugs after dark with a homemade light trap. Place a sheet of plywood or cardboard, a chaise longue, or other flat surface against the outside wall of the house and cover it with a white cloth. Turn on a small spotlight or UV lamp, direct the light onto a board covered with a white cloth, and leave it on for a few hours after sunset. After the ladybugs have gathered on the fabric, simply shake them off into a small container.
   • A spotlight or UV lamp can be purchased inexpensively at a hardware store.
   • The ultraviolet light will lure curious ladybugs out of their hiding places like moths and other insects.
6. 6 Keep the ladybug in a box or jar until you arrange her home. After you catch one or more ladybugs, transplant them into a small, well-ventilated container until you have a more comfortable home.Do not forget to make holes in the lid so that the ladybug has something to breathe.
   • As a temporary home for a ladybug, a cardboard food box with a tight-fitting lid is perfect.
   • Do not keep the captured ladybug in its original container for more than a few hours, or it may die from overheating or lack of oxygen.

Tips

• Look for aphids to feed ladybugs on the underside of the leaves and stems of flowering plants and trees. Aphids are tiny, translucent insects usually light green in color, although they can also be white, yellow, red, brown, or black.

Warnings

• Glass containers are not very suitable for keeping ladybirds. Glass retains heat, so insects can die from overheating.
• Ladybug bites can cause mild itching and irritation, so it is safer to catch and move them with a stick, brush, or other tool to avoid discomfort.
• Always wash your hands after handling ladybirds. When frightened or threatened, these insects secrete an unpleasant-smelling liquid, and there are even cases when they have suffered diseases.

What do you need

Keeping and feeding a ladybug

• Spacious closed container
• Grass, leaves, twigs, or shredded paper
• Stones, branches, shells and other natural objects
• Raisins, lettuce, or honey
• Paper towel or sponge
• Small terrarium or insect box (preferred)
• Soft bristled brush (preferred)
• Cardboard (desirable)
• Spray bottle (optional)
• Aphids (preferably as food)

Catching ladybugs

• Well ventilated box or jar
• Net (preferably)
• Umbrella or tarp (optional)
• Bamboo, PVC or cardboard tube (preferably for a feeder)
• A sheet of plywood, a white rag and a spotlight or UV lamp (preferably for a light trap)