How to Buy Lady Bugs Online

Ladybugs, also called ladybirds or lady beetles live in one form or other throughout the world. Though the common varieties are easily recognizable with shiny carapaces comprised of black, red, blue, or yellow spots, many ladybugs are plain black or grey and as such are often not recognized as ladybugs. Lots of people have superstitions relating to them, considering it good luck should one land on you and extremely bad luck to kill a ladybug. Ranging between 1 and 10 millimeters, these small insects can be a great aid to amateur gardeners and organic farmers alike. Most varieties of ladybug make a diet of aphids and other scale insects. Left unchecked these scale insects have the capacity to sicken or even kill plants as they feed on their vital moistures and fluids. Such scale insects often develop a waxy coating over their bodies which, when attached to a plant's stalk, prevents pesticides from coming into contact with their mucous membranes. As such many are effectively immune to pesticide sprays. This guide will take you step by step through the process of purchasing ladybugs online and introducing them into your garden.

Things You’ll Need:
Computer

Internet Connection

Web Browser

Credit Card

Mailing Address

Buying Ladybugs Online
Step 1:
Use your computer to open an internet browser.

Step 2:
Pull up a search engine using your web browser. Many web browsers have their own search engines installed, but you can type in the URL of any particular search engine you prefer.

Step 3:
Type in your search engine "Buy Ladybugs". This should give you a list of sites that will sell ladybugs either privately or commercially.

Step 4:
Choose a website and make your order. This organization is upstanding and reliable in my experience. (http://gardeningzone.com/index_130.html?osCsid=7a3136e6cabf8a08afbdfc3e59fd6500). When figuring out how many you should purchase remember to take into account the size of your garden. One ladybug can cover and patrol about one square foot of greenery, so get one for each square foot of your garden.

Step 5:
Once you've clicked on the button that says "Buy" or "Purchase" you'll be brought to a payment screen. The site will ask for your credit card and delivery information. Make sure to watch your credit card statements to be sure no one got a hold of that number that should not have.

Step 6:
When you've confirmed the order you should be provided with an electronic receipt. Either save this to your computer's hard drive or print out a copy. If your shipment fails to arrive you will need this when you contact the seller to complain.

Step 7:
Wait about a week, your shipment should arrive soon. You will get a cardboard box containing one or more sealed plastic bags. These bags will contain straw crawling with ladybugs.

Step 8:
Take the bag to your garden, open it and dip your hand in. Don't worry, ladybugs can't bite. Gently scoop up some straw, the ladybugs should hold onto that. Be sure to hold them loosely as they can be hurt easily. Scatter them throughout the garden as if you were dropping grass seeds in your lawn.

Step 9:
Repeat until the bag is empty. Congratulations. You've done something good for your garden as well as the ecosystem.

Tips & Warnings
Don't use pesticides on your plants for at least a week prior to introducing ladybugs to your garden. If they eat any insects that may have come into contact with pesticides or fungicides they will die. The average life expectancy for a ladybug is between one and two months. Check your garden every few weeks to see if any of the ladybugs you placed their have reproduced. If you see them crawling around great, if not you might want to consider ordering more.
Not all species of ladybug eat insects, some feed on plant life and should definitely not be introduced into your garden. make sure you know which is which before purchasing. Ladybugs can fly very well, don't release them indoors or you'll never get them all out of the house.