Food for Ladybugs

The ladybug, considered a symbol of good luck in many cultures, is one of the more visually striking insects Nature has to offer. Besides their beautiful color and patterns, ladybugs are also highly beneficial as a form of pest control, in both a commercial and residential context. However, they do require a rather particular diet in order to remain healthy and active.

  1. In the Wild

    • Depending on its stage of life, a ladybug's diet will alter drastically. When they first hatch (within 4 to 10 days of being laid), they will eat the egg casings they were birthed from. Afterward, their diet broadens to include their own sibling larvae, if they stick around. They also have a large appetite for aphids, which are a singularly nasty pest for farmers and gardeners. Ladybugs will also feed off scale insects and dust mites.

    In Captivity

    • Should you have a ladybug within an insect cage, jar or other care kit, there are alternative food sources you can provide for them besides having to hunt down leaves and flowers with aphids on them. One technique is to soak raisins in water for about 5 minutes, then chop the raisins into bits and sprinkle them around the ladybug's habitat. Ten to 15 raisins prepared in this manner will keep a ladybug content for about a week.

      Also make sure to provide water for the ladybug through a few drops of water sprinkled around the raisins.

      Warning: Do not put leaves or other vegetation in with a captive ladybug unless you are absolutely sure it is clean from all pesticides or insecticide. If you aren't sure, you might well end up poisoning the ladybug.

    Ladybug Kits

    • If you would like the chance to care for ladybugs all by yourself, there are science and nature kits available that provide just this opportunity. You can order kits that send full-grown ladybugs, or ones that start with larvae and go all the way to the adult phase.