Best place to buy ladybirds?

Kay_Peel

Here's an easy home-made, DIY, cheap and cheerful habitat for ladybirds.

Take one large or small plastic drinks bottle. Cut off the top. Try to do this at an angle so that the top can act as a 'roof' and allow rain water to drain away.

Get some corrugated cardboard (the crinkley stuff that is sandwiched between the two outer layers of a cardboard box).
Roll it up tightly and stuff it into the bottle.

Get some stems that are hollow - bamboo is the best. Insert the bamboo and twigs randomly into the layers of the cardboard and around the outside. (Don't use plastic drinking straws - the ladybirds find it too slippery, I believe.) The more sizes and shapes you can create inside the bottle the more beneficial insects you will attract - not just ladybirds but also lacewings and the docile, harmless but useful Mason Bee.

Place your Ladybird House in a sheltered place - roughly facing south east, and ideally near to the food supply - those precious plants that attract aphids. You can put them in hedges, hang them from branches, place them on the ground at the back of the border - anywhere.

Put it up now - so that the ladybirds and lacewings can find it before the autumn and will nest there over the winter.

Kay

beer2006

Alexandria wrote: »

Hmm as tempting as it is I don't think nettles are a good idea with a 4 year old and 10 month old! lol I'd spend more time hunting for doc leaves than tending my garden!!

I suppose it depends how big your garden is. I have a 3 year old and I think its an valuable aid to teaching to get stung a few times, kids learn by doing, not being told about it. She now knows what nettles are and isn't scared of them, but keeps her distance. And she knows about doc leaves as well.
Nettles also make lovely soup for us, are an excellent addition to compost bins, make a nettle tea (like comfrey tea) for feeding plants. Pretty all round good guys.

hali000

You can buy ladybirds cheaply at https://www.gardening-naturally.com along with loads of other beneficial insects and nematodes,the slug nematodes are great!Hope this helpsHali x