Arbico Organics Live Ladybugs
Normally, if a bug lands on you, the instinctual reaction is to scream, shake it off, recoil or smash it… but not if that bug happens to be a ladybug! These delicate red and black friends do not fly erratically or try to eat your food. In fact, they’re normally a bit aloof, so if one happens to land on you, consider yourself blessed! Many people make a wish and send that little lady flying off to the garden, where they’ll discreetly munch on harmful predators like aphids, beetles and larvae. Did you know that you can buy live ladybugs as natural “centurions” for your garden?
When you order your live ladybugs, you will receive a UPS shipment of adult stage insects. Within 8-10 days of their release, each female ladybug will lay 10 to 50 eggs beneath leaves in your yard. In just 2 to 5 days, dark flight-less creatures with orange spots will emerge, ready to feast upon 50 to 60 aphids per day. After 21 days, they pupate and the prettier adult ladybugs come out in 2 to 5 days, hungry and ready to consume 5,000 aphids each! Arbico Organics ships their ladybugs Monday through Wednesday, with orders going out next-day. Since some ladybugs may perish during transport, extra ones are sent with each order. Ladybugs prefer temperatures from 61 to 82 degrees. If necessary, you may store adults for 1 to 3 weeks at 35 to 45 degrees before releasing them into the world to propagate.
Arbico Organics live ladybugs have been endorsed by numerous green blogs, such as www.idealbite.com, www.goorganicgardening.com, www.smart2begreen.com, www.organic-eden.com and www.organicgardeningbloghowto.com, to name a few. According to the Arizona Daily Star, Arbico Organics is the only company in the world that produces ladybugs. “Natural pest control is a growing business,” says Pamela Martinez from Arbico, the 22-year-old, Catalina-based company. She adds that they do ship these “tiny terminators” around the world, although live bugs cannot be sent to Hawaii.
The only real downside to buying live ladybugs is that some people feel this may upset nature’s balance. An overabundance of ladybugs will send them packing: they’ll be in search of food and you’ll be in search of the money you’ve lost. Even so, the ladybugs make ideal predators. You won’t have to worry about them succumbing to other predatory garden pests. The bright color warns others that they look like an unsatisfying meal. They can release a bad smelling and orange-tasting chemical when stressed, which other predators find downright revolting. Ladybugs have also been known to play dead and even bite! (But don’t worry because humans can’t feel their tiny mandibles at all.) To order ladybugs of your very own, visit www.arbico-organics.com.
Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed treating anxiety disorder as well as tips on the various medications for panic disorder available at anxietydisordercure.com.
