How to Feed Ladybugs

Children are entranced by ladybugs, with their bright red coats and bold black dots. Many children --- often heard reciting the nursery rhyme "Ladybug! Ladybug! Fly away home. Your house is on fire. And your children all gone" --- want to keep this tiny insect as a pet in a jar. Doing so requires adding vegetation, a few drops of water and enormous amounts of food --- for a ladybug, that is.

Things You'll Need

  • Fresh plant material
  • Twigs
  • Recycled jars or bug cage
  • Water
  • Medicine dropper
  • 5-inch square window screen
  • Rubber band
  • Butterfly net
  • Aphids
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place fresh grass in the bottom of a glass jar or bug cage. Add several twigs to provide the ladybug with something to climb and to allow children to watch the ladybug easily.

    • 2

      Drop two or three drops of water from a medicine dropper onto the bottom of the jar to provide moisture for the ladybug.

    • 3

      Place the ladybug in its new home and close the cover. If using a recycled jar for the ladybug home, stretch a section of window screen or similar material over the top and secure it with a rubber band.

    • 4

      Gather aphids from outside plants with a butterfly net by sweeping the net through vegetation. Tiny aphids fall into the net, allowing you to gather them for the ladybug.

    • 5

      Pour the aphids into a jar and seal it tightly while you gather more. Your ladybug eats up to 50 aphids a day. Although some ladybugs eat mealybugs or plant insects called scales, their primary food source is aphids.

    • 6

      Add live aphids to the ladybug's home to provide it with a tasty meal.