How to Feed and Care for a Ladybug

• Look underneath leaves, inside hollow trees, and in areas with lush growth to catch ladybugs.
• Put leaves, twigs, and soil into a plastic container to create a habitat. Make sure the container has holes so your ladybug gets fresh air.
• Feed your ladybug aphids, honey, raisins, and lettuce every day. Place a damp paper towel in the habitat to give the ladybug water.

Check leaves, twigs, and blades of grass for ladybugs.

Look for ladybugs in fields and pick them up by hand. You'll probably have pretty good luck finding them in late spring and early summer before it gets very hot and dry. If you've got a garden, start looking there, or check nearby fields and meadows. When you see a ladybug, gently pluck it between your fingers and hold it in your cupped hands until you can put it in a jar or temporary storage container. If the weather is cooling down, look for ladybugs underneath rocks or in hollow trees since they're trying to find warm spots. If you don't want to pick up the ladybug, rest your hand on the surface next to it and wait for the ladybug to crawl right on or sweep a butterfly net along the edges of tall grass to scoop up ladybugs.

Store the ladybug in a jar for now.

A glass jar is the perfect container to temporarily house the ladybug. As long as you poke a few holes in the container, your ladybug will be fine for a few hours while you get its habitat set up. A cardboard food box with resealable flaps make excellent temporary housing for ladybugs. Plus, it's easy to poke small holes into the top of the box. Plan on moving it to a bigger habitat container within a few hours. Glass traps heat, so you don't want to keep the ladybug in there for much longer.

Choose a storage container for the habitat.

Pick a plastic container that has holes for air circulation. You can buy small clear containers like Kritter Keepers that are designed for insects, or use any plastic storage container you have—the bigger, the better so your ladybug has room to fly around. If it doesn't have holes for air circulation, punch holes 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the lid of the container—make sure the holes aren't so big that the ladybug can get out! To coax the ladybug to its new habitat, use a soft brush to gently brush it into the container. If you put several ladybugs into 1 habitat, use a larger container instead of a small insect keeper so they have plenty of room.

Put leaves, sticks, and soil in the plastic container.

Dirt, twigs, and leaves mimic the ladybug's natural habitat. To make your ladybug feel at home, collect a few natural items from where you took the ladybug and put them into the container. For instance, spread soil in the bottom and drop in a handful of grass or leaves. If you can’t find any good natural structures, fold a few pieces of cardboard and drop them into the container to give your ladybug something to climb or hide under. It's totally fine to put flowers into your habitat—ladybugs love sunflowers, marigolds, and cosmos.

Place a damp paper towel in the container.

A damp paper towel is a good water source for your ladybug. It doesn't take a lot to quench a ladybug's thirst! A damp paper towel or cotton ball is all you need—just check the paper towel or cotton ball after a day or two to make sure it hasn't dried out. Don't leave a small dish of water in the habitat since your ladybug might fall in and couldn't get out. If you don't want to leave a paper towel or cotton ball in the habitat, fill a spray bottle with water and mist the inside walls of the habitat every day.

Feed your ladybug honey, raisins, or lettuce.

Lettuce, honey, and raisins are easy-to-find foods that ladybugs eat. To make it easier for your ladybug to eat, soak a few raisins in water for a minute before putting them into the habitat. Add a leaf from outside or a fresh lettuce leaf. Ladybugs also get energy from honey—put a small dab of honey in a bottlecap and add 2 to 3 drops of water. These foods can make up your ladybug's main diet unless you can find a good source of aphids. Although ladybugs eat a lot for their size, you only need to put food into the habitat once or twice a day. Remove uneaten food when you put the fresh food in.

Give your ladybug aphids (if possible).

Aphids are a ladybug's favorite food! You can find them on the undersides of leaves and stems of flowering plants and trees—aphids look like very tiny, semi-translucent insects that are light green, brown, or black in color. If you're taking care of several ladybugs, put a few leaves or branches with aphids into the habitat since 1 ladybug can eat up to 25 aphids a day! If you're having trouble finding aphids, look at the plants around where you caught your ladybug—ladybugs tend to stick close to sources of aphids. Ladybugs also eat tiny insects like mites, whiteflies, and scale insects that are also found on plant leaves and stems.

Release your ladybug within a week.

Ladybugs do best in nature, so let yours go after a few days. Unfortunately, ladybugs will only survive for up to 2 weeks in captivity. Enjoy taking care of a ladybug and studying it, but let it go back to where you found it. Nature is a ladybug's true home! If you notice your ladybug hiding constantly, it might be a sign that the ladybug wants to be released back into the wild. As hard as it might be to let it go, it's probably best to return your ladybug outdoors. Try to release your ladybug at the end of summer while it’s still warm outside. Otherwise, it may struggle to find food and shelter.