How do you feed your pet lady bug?

Answer 1

Answerit depends on what type it is. Some ladybugs eat leaves and plants but most eat aphids, scale insects and mites.

Ladybugs eat soft leaves and the nectar from flowers.

ladybirds eat aphids; tiny green insects that are found in large numbers on rose bushes.

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Hi...I've been overwintering ladybugs for 4 years now and this is the best way I've found to keep them happy and healthy until you release them in spring. I know some say to keep them in the refrigerator, but I have never been able to bring myself to do that! I had my hubby build me a "cage" from just a wooden frame wrapped in screen mesh with a door, but I started out with a large box. I used one of those boxes that paper reams come in and I cut a large window on each side, and a large panel in the top. Screen mesh was glued to keep the ladybugs in and to provide air and light. I put it some leaves and grass clippings, and some sticks for them to crawl around on. I also took a few small bathroom paper cups and cut a little door on the bottom and turned them upside down. They love to hide and you would be surprised how many can fit in a 3 oz. cup! You must provide them with fresh water and food, even if you think they are hibernating. Do not give them distilled water! Use Spring water, if possible, or use water that has been boiled and sat for 24 hours. For their food, I took a small Styrofoam tray to put the food on so I could keep the area clean. I also noticed that they like to hide under the edges when you put it in a corner.) Use a sugar water mixture (1 part sugar to 10 parts water) or you can use hummingbird nectar mix. The nectar mix does provide more vitamins that then sugar water, but make sure you don't mix up big batches because it only keeps for about a week. Soak a few cottonballs in the food mixture and put them in empty caps from juice jugs. Make sure you change the cottonballs once a week, and add to them in-between if necessary. And, make sure you keep their regular drinking water full. I put a few small pebbles in a juice cap and keep the water level just full enough do that they can use the stones for safety. Do not just put a capful of water or it can be real easy for them to drown. If you want to give them a little variety to eat, give them a few pieces of fruit every once in awhile, but be sure you DO NOT give them anything acidic. The safest fruits are strawberries, apricots and raisins. Soak a raisin in water for a few hours to rehydrate it before you give it to them. Do all of that and you will have a bunch of little friends to add to your garden next season! Don't be alarmed if you find a number of dead ladybugs during the winter months. Some just won't make it. I usually caught around 100 and ended up with about 80%. Now that I have my ladybug "hotel", I catch about 300! Good luck and enjoy the little creatures!

Answer 2

You must provide Ladybugs with fresh water and food, even if you think they are hibernating. Do not give them distilled water! Use Spring water, if possible, or use water that has been boiled and sat for 24 hours. For their food, use a small Styrofoam tray to put the food on so you can keep the area clean. (They also like to hide under the edges when you put it in a corner.) Use a sugar water mixture (1 part sugar to 10 parts water) or you can use hummingbird nectar mix. The nectar mix does provide more vitamins that then sugar water, but make sure you don't mix up big batches because it only keeps for about a week. Soak a few cottonballs in the food mixture and put them in empty caps from juice jugs. Make sure you change the cottonballs once a week, and add to them in-between if necessary. And, make sure you keep their regular drinking water full. Put a few small pebbles in a juice cap and keep the water level just full enough do that they can use the stones for safety. Do not just put a capful of water or it can be real easy for them to drown. If you want to give them a little variety to eat, give them a few pieces of fruit every once in awhile, but be sure you DO NOT give them anything acidic. The safest fruits are strawberries, apricots and raisins. Soak a raisin in water for a few hours to rehydrate it before you give it to them.

Answer 3

Hi...I've been overwintering ladybugs for 4 years now and this is the best way I've found to keep them happy and healthy until you release them in spring. I know some say to keep them in the refrigerator, but I have never been able to bring myself to do that! I had my hubby build me a "cage" from just a wooden frame wrapped in screen mesh with a door, but I started out with a large box. I used one of those boxes that paper reams come in and I cut a large window on each side, and a large panel in the top. Screen mesh was glued to keep the ladybugs in and to provide air and light. I put it some leaves and grass clippings, and some sticks for them to crawl around on. I also took a few small bathroom paper cups and cut a little door on the bottom and turned them upside down. They love to hide and you would be surprised how many can fit in a 3 oz. cup! You must provide them with fresh water and food, even if you think they are hibernating. Do not give them distilled water! Use Spring water, if possible, or use water that has been boiled and sat for 24 hours. For their food, I took a small Styrofoam tray to put the food on so I could keep the area clean. I also noticed that they like to hide under the edges when you put it in a corner.) Use a sugar water mixture (1 part sugar to 10 parts water) or you can use hummingbird nectar mix. The nectar mix does provide more vitamins that then sugar water, but make sure you don't mix up big batches because it only keeps for about a week. Soak a few cottonballs in the food mixture and put them in empty caps from juice jugs. Make sure you change the cottonballs once a week, and add to them in-between if necessary. And, make sure you keep their regular drinking water full. I put a few small pebbles in a juice cap and keep the water level just full enough do that they can use the stones for safety. Do not just put a capful of water or it can be real easy for them to drown. If you want to give them a little variety to eat, give them a few pieces of fruit every once in awhile, but be sure you DO NOT give them anything acidic. The safest fruits are strawberries, apricots and raisins. Soak a raisin in water for a few hours to rehydrate it before you give it to them. Do all of that and you will have a bunch of little friends to add to your garden next season! Don't be alarmed if you find a number of dead ladybugs during the winter months. Some just won't make it. I usually caught around 100 and ended up with about 80%. Now that I have my ladybug "hotel", I catch about 300! Good luck and enjoy the little creatures!

Answer 4

you can feed a ladybug aphids, white flies, scales, and mites. but, if you have a contained ladybug, meaning aperson has it in their possession, you can feed it raisins, dried apricots, pretty much any DRIED fruit. however, you must be cautious. if you feed your ladybug fruit, it MUST be NON-ACIDIC FRUIT!!!!!!!!! if it is not non-acidic fruit, it will kill the ladybug!

Answer 5

If you're keeping your ladybugs as a pet or overwintering them to release the next Spring, you must provide Ladybugs with fresh water and food, even if you think they are hibernating. Do not give them distilled water! Use Spring water, if possible, or use water that has been boiled and sat for 24 hours. For their food, use a small Styrofoam tray to put the food on so you can keep the area clean. (They also like to hide under the edges when you put it in a corner.) Use a sugar water mixture (1 part sugar to 10 parts water) or you can use hummingbird nectar mix. The nectar mix does provide more vitamins that then sugar water, but make sure you don't mix up big batches because it only keeps for about a week. Soak a few cottonballs in the food mixture and put them in empty caps from juice jugs. Make sure you change the cottonballs once a week, and add to them in-between if necessary. And, make sure you keep their regular drinking water full. Put a few small pebbles in a juice cap and keep the water level just full enough do that they can use the stones for safety. Do not just put a capful of water or it can be real easy for them to drown. If you want to give them a little variety to eat, give them a few pieces of fruit every once in awhile, but be sure you DO NOT give them anything acidic. The safest fruits are strawberries, apricots and raisins. Soak a raisin in water for a few hours to rehydrate it before you give it to them.

Answer 6

well if you find a ladybug the garden is a good place to put it, but if you do intend on keeping it would be sultanas paper towed dried orange, apple grape and mandarin's. make sure you don't put bananas in there to sticky. G they will not eat and water will come from the fruit. but still there nature not a human pet like a dog or cat.

Answer 7

to give it water (or any other drink)get a cottonball and soak it,and to feed it ,if you are keeping it in a jar ,or what not, stick the food in the container.

Answer 8

They eat rose bush aphids.

Answer 9

afids. they drink dew drops.