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Ladybirds and their larvae: purchaseable in shops?

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  • 26-03-2009 2:13am
    #1
    generalmiaow
    Registered Users Posts: 865 ✭✭✭


    Hey guys, I was wondering if any of you knew are ladybirds or their larvae the sort of thing you can get in a gardening centre? It might seem strange that I don't just go to one and ask but lacking my own transport it is rare that I can get to dedicated garden centres. I live in a complex which is sort of limited wildlife wise so attracting them via selective planting was unsuccessful last year, despite the fact that I must have spent years of my childhood collecting them for kicks only a few miles away.

    I have a few indoor windowsill plants that the greenfly nymphs are chewing to bits (already!) and the dastardly aphids are starting to invite their allies, the ants, into my apartment, which is really taking the mickey. The wide ranging campaigns I am conducting require, I feel, a bit of infantry backup, since everything from surgical spirit (which seems to kill baby leaves) and dilute fairy liquid (which at this stage only seems to be washing the dirty bugs) merely strengthens their resolve. I know these things are seasonal and I would probably need to wait until May, but if I could get my hands on a few ladybirds I reckon I could turn this around. Thanks!


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    #2
    bmaxi
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,859 ✭✭✭bmaxi


    I'm pretty sure you can get them mail order but once you have them how do you control them? I can imagine they'd be out the window at the first opportunity, unless of course you can train them to sit. :)


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    #3
    generalmiaow
    Registered Users Posts: 865 ✭✭✭generalmiaow


    bmaxi wrote: »
    I'm pretty sure you can get them mail order but once you have them how do you control them? I can imagine they'd be out the window at the first opportunity, unless of course you can train them to sit. :)

    There's something called a "ladybird tower" you can get. I'm not sure how effective it is. I suppose the larvae wouldn't fly away and they still eat aphids. I sort of envisioned myself, for my purposes, keeping the ladybirds in some sort of terrarium and putting the plants (they are only small) into the terrarium periodically for occasional mass murder. On the other hand, I wouldn't know what to feed them and I would only end up having a load of pet ladybirds and posting here looking for birds to eat them, and that leads to cats.

    I noticed there's a place that used to sell them online in Ireland but they are expensive. It worked out at about a euro a larva. I'll probably just go hunting for them this summer and put them on the plants to see whether they want to stay.


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    #4
    AlanD
    Registered Users Posts: 1,495 ✭✭✭AlanD


    you can buy the life ladybirds in May usually. Mr Middleton usually has them. To prevent them from flying away you need to put them out at night, have the plants wet cos they'll be thirsty and ensure they have plenty of food (i.e. aphids).

    The ladybird tower is for Autumn time so you can encourage them to hibernate in your garden.


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