I see in the local Garden Center one can buy a kit to produce Ladybirds/Ladybugs. The man behind the counter said they tried it, and produced dozens.
I wonder if anyone has tales to tell, or advice, on getting their portraits?
Grow your own bugs?
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
Are these Asian ladybugs ?
If so i think your native ladybugs have problems enough allready .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinellidae
If so i think your native ladybugs have problems enough allready .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinellidae
- rjlittlefield
- Site Admin
- Posts: 23561
- Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:34 am
- Location: Richland, Washington State, USA
- Contact:
Do you mean "kit" as in something like this?
Obviously you'll get a distorted view of feeding behavior. Ladybugs eat aphids in the wild. These kits probably use aphid-flavored goo pellets.
But for larval form, molting, pupation, and emergence, the kit should provide quite an agreeable experience. The kits are as close to foolproof as the vendors can make them, which makes them a lot more reliable than trying to "grow your own" from wild-caught material.
It's a lot of fun to watch the life stage transitions up close. See this old thread for an example. Scroll down to the 7th post in the thread for some more explanation.
--Rik
Kits like this are a pretty cool way to get exposed to insect life history.With our Ladybug Rearing kit, you can discover the metamorphosis of a real live lady bugs. Mail the certificate in the kit to receive your Pink Spotted ladybug larvae. The see-through domed habitat allows you to get a bug's eye view as you watch the small alligator-shaped larvae eat their special food and drink from "water bubbles." [ref]
Obviously you'll get a distorted view of feeding behavior. Ladybugs eat aphids in the wild. These kits probably use aphid-flavored goo pellets.
But for larval form, molting, pupation, and emergence, the kit should provide quite an agreeable experience. The kits are as close to foolproof as the vendors can make them, which makes them a lot more reliable than trying to "grow your own" from wild-caught material.
It's a lot of fun to watch the life stage transitions up close. See this old thread for an example. Scroll down to the 7th post in the thread for some more explanation.
--Rik