Ladybugs

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Aphids on the new growth, sticky leaves, ants running up the stem — ladybugs are the fastest answer we sell. The Convergent Lady Beetle (Hippodamia convergens) is the original broa d-spectrum predator of the North American garden: a generalist that works through aphid colonies, scale crawlers and the young mobile stages of mealybug, eating dozens a day from the moment it warms up. Where a predatory mite is a scalpel, this is your cleanup crew. And there is almost nothing to it. Nothing to mix, nothing to spray, no residue on the leaves and no re-entry interval — you tip them out at the base of the plant at dusk and they climb, scanning every leaf on the way up. They find the colony without your help, they reach the undersides and the tight growing tips a spray never touches, and aphids cannot develop resistance to being eaten. Safe around people, pets and anything you plan to eat. Release onto misted plants and the ones that find food stay and lay. The spiky, alligator-shaped larvae that show up a week later are where most of the actual pest control happens — they hunt harder than the adults and they aren't going anywhere. Peak activity runs 2–3 weeks. We carry Hippodamia convergens because it's the species that belongs here, not the invasive Asian lady beetle. It's also the only beneficial in our catalog that's wild-caught rather than farmed — which is why it's cheap per predator, and why it arrives clustered and dormant in a kraft paper tube. They wake as they warm. Same-week dispatch, Monday through Thursday. Best for: Fast knock-down of visible aphid colonies and other soft-bodied pests.How many: Sizes go by plant count — X-Small is a hot spot on a plant or two, X-Large is a greenhouse. Under heavy pressure, take one size up.Speed: They start hunting as soon as they warm up.Safe around: People, pets, plants and food crops.The FGMN Standard: Healthy, active, and triple-screened for vigor.Not for: Spider mites, broad mites, or anything microscopic hiding in new growth — those need a predatory mite. Adult mealybugs need Cryptolaemus. Field Notes Hippodamia convergens The beneficial Species Hippodamia convergens Common name Convergent lady beetle Type Predatory beetle — generalist How it works Released low on the plant, adults crawl upward and scan every leaf on the way to the top, working through aphid colonies, soft scale and anything else soft-bodied and slow enough to catch What does the killing The next generation as much as the beetles you release. Adults that find enough food lay eggs, and the spiked larvae that follow hunt harder than the adults — those larvae are what clears a heavy infestation What it eats Hunts Aphids above all, plus the young mobile stages of mealybugs and soft scale Best against Large, visible colonies of aphids and other soft-bodied pests Also eats Eggs of moths and other garden invaders Eats opportunistically Thrips larvae and spider mites. Not a specialist here — an extra layer of defense, not the answer Won't touch Microscopic, hidden pests in the tight crevices of new growth — broad mites and the like need a predatory mite instead What arrives Format Kraft paper tube of clustered beetles, cool and mostly motionless. They are dormant, and wake as they warm Ships as Adults Where it works Optimal temp Indoors and in greenhouses, 64°F to 81°F Humidity 50% RH or higher Light Positively phototactic — they fly toward the strongest light source. Indoors, manage lamps and windows or they gather there rather than in the canopy Establishes Dispersal is hardwired in adults: some leave. Those that find dense prey and water stay and lay, and the eggs are the real payoff Running it Deploy Mist or water the plants before release. Beetles look for water before food, and a thirsty beetle leaves to find a drink Placement Onto the lower stems or the soil at the base of infested plants, never on top. They climb toward the aphids Release timing At dusk, or 15 minutes after lights-out. Never in daylight. Release in batches over several nights rather than all in one evening Refrigerate Yes — refrigerate, never freeze, if you cannot release tonight. The cold holds them in diapause for about a week; longer than that can kill them Compatible with Predatory mites, if staggered: ladybugs first to knock down a heavy infestation, then the specialized mites 5–7 days later Keep separate from Indoors, bright lights and open windows on release night Show more