# Ladybirds as pets?



## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Coccinellidae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Why not?

We keep all manner of other inverts, some of which are fairly endangered.

It could even be a positive, if some of the young were released back into the wild.

Imagine a nice glass viv.

Cylinder shaped.

Some nice flora in there.

And a colony of these, various species.

I think it would look stunning, personally....


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## georgieabc123 (Jul 17, 2008)

yeah i dont see why not it could help because you dont see many now adays:flrt:


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## DannyLeigh (Aug 4, 2008)

Also, it's not too hard to find aphids, their main food. : victory:

I quite like the idea!


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## XoxOriptideOxoX (Jul 11, 2008)

good old lady bugs =] i used to collect them at school in texas, but they just seemed to get fewer and fewer every year.


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

I reckon the flying thing could be a problem.

I can see them getting stressed & dying from flying into the glass all the time.

That's just me talking from my opinion though, I've done no research to prove whether it's true or not. So it could work.

Would be awesome if it did.


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## Willyleigh (May 25, 2008)

I used to collect ladybirds and keep them in a ice cream tub with a load as leaves for 'food' before I knew what they ate. My mum would always set them all free after afew days, but then I would go and collect them all over again.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

oh, ladybugs!

they sellthem by the carton here for gardeners... bizzillions in a container... if you're too lazy to collect them. they are killers!..aphid killers that is...


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## lycanlord20 (Jul 11, 2008)

Just found this lol

HOW TO BUY LADYBIRD LARVAE OR ADULT INSECTS 

Call Gardening Naturally (0845 680 0296 or 01285 654241) to buy your native ladybird larvae or adult insects. 

Adult insects – approx 25 (will treat an area of 5m squared) - £14.95 

Ladybird larvae – approx 30 (will treat an area of 5m squared) - £9.95 

Ladybird larvae – approx 250 (will treat an area of 40m squared) - £39.49 

100 larvae in a release bag for a tree - £19.94 

Ladybird house - £13.50 

You can also buy ladybird houses from the National Trust The National Trust


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## macro junkie (Oct 27, 2007)




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## macro junkie (Oct 27, 2007)

wait till the summer comes and go out and find some..save you paying all that money..if you know where to look your find lots of them..i found maybe 5 different species this year.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Would look stunning in the set up that I spoke about, earlier.


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## andie (Sep 23, 2007)

I couldnt find hardly any last year except this one  









very clumsy little ladies ...


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## Mush (Jan 20, 2008)

now that would be cool!

me and the OH had a hotel room during the summer that was caked in ladybirds!!! we rescued loads from the room to set free, could have made a fortune :lol2:


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Post pics of attractive glass vivs, tall one's, that you feel they could possibly live in?

Are Ladybirds found beyond Europe?

Are they more common to one given European nation?


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## gizzard (May 5, 2008)

the ones infesting the room were probably harlequin ladybirds... which are taking over and wiping out the other ladybird species.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

gizzard said:


> the ones infesting the room were probably harlequin ladybirds... which are taking over and wiping out the other ladybird species.


What 'room'?


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Mush said:


> now that would be cool!
> 
> me and the OH had a hotel room during the summer that was caked in ladybirds!!! we rescued loads from the room to set free, could have made a fortune :lol2:





enlightenment said:


> What 'room'?


: victory:


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## bassy 1019 (Sep 26, 2006)

*ladybirds*

lovely pics of the ladybirds, u must have some good camera


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## Javeo (May 4, 2008)

Macro Junkie - You should illustrate all the threads with your amazing pictures


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Quick show of hands.

Would you keep these, yes/no?


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## DannyLeigh (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes, I might give it a go, as well as Devil's Coach Horses. (Not in the same tank of course) I really want to see and keep a Devil's Coach Horse. I've never seen one!


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

DannyLeigh said:


> Yes, I might give it a go, as well as Devil's Coach Horses. (Not in the same tank of course) I really want to see and keep a Devil's Coach Horse. I've never seen one!


Hmm.

Brings me back to square one, that. There was a whole thread about it. Did you see that one?


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

matty said:


> I reckon the flying thing could be a problem.
> 
> I can see them getting stressed & dying from flying into the glass all the time.
> 
> ...


Just do what we do, let them free-roam in the garden :whistling2:


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## DannyLeigh (Aug 4, 2008)

enlightenment said:


> Hmm.
> 
> Brings me back to square one, that. There was a whole thread about it. Did you see that one?


Sorry? A whole thread on Devil's Coach Horses? I seem to remember someone (Was it you?) found one in their living room and you kept it and fed it stuff.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

DannyLeigh said:


> Sorry? A whole thread on Devil's Coach Horses? I seem to remember someone (Was it you?) found one in their living room and you kept it and fed it stuff.


Nope.

Not me.

A recent thread.


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## hullreptilelover (Mar 4, 2006)

I love ladybugs! Used to spend hours as a kid catching them (and then letting them go)! Not the yellow ones though, I used to think they was really 'poisonous' for some reason! lol!


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## lycanlord20 (Jul 11, 2008)

It is me that found one on my carpet and kept it for a lil while


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## macro junkie (Oct 27, 2007)

all the different ones iv photographed this year in the west of the uk

Latin name: Chilocorus renipustulatus
Size: Approximately 5mms
Distribution: Found in some parts of the U.K. but not common.
Months seen: April to October
Food: Scale insects on the bark of trees
Habitat: Deciduous woodland











Adalia bipunctata - 2 spot ladybird
Size: Approximately 5mms long
Distribution: Found throughout the U.K.
Months seen: March to October
Food: Aphids
Habitat: Fields, parks, gardens and woods.










Latin name: Coccinella 7-punctata
Size: Approximately 6mms long
Distribution: Found throughout the U.K.
Months seen: March to October
Food: Aphids











mating Subcoccinella 24-punctata

Latin name: Subcoccinella 24-punctata
Size: Approximately 3mms long
Distribution: Found in many parts of the U.K.
Months seen: May to October
Food: All sorts of plants


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## macro junkie (Oct 27, 2007)

Ladybirds - Coccinellidae - UK Safari


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## Elmodfz (Jan 18, 2008)

Wow those pictures are amazing!!!!! How do you get them so close and clear??

I would keep Ladybirds but my Mum is scared of them so I don't think it would go down to well lol.


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## macro junkie (Oct 27, 2007)

Elmodfz said:


> How do you get them so close and clear??
> .


a 1500£ camera


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## lycanlord20 (Jul 11, 2008)

Elmodfz said:


> I would keep Ladybirds but my Mum is scared of them so I don't think it would go down to well lol.


May I ask why she is scared of ladybirds lmao


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Some carry knives.

And take drugs.


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## daz30347 (Aug 30, 2007)

enlightenment said:


> Some carry knives.
> 
> And take drugs.


 nah, thats the Teenbirds :lol2:


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## gizzard (May 5, 2008)

could you keep a load of different ladybird species together? would make one hell of a display... especially if they breed. 
how would you set it up though? im thinking a tall tank with a small rose in there infested with aphids... but i suppose you could use nettles instead. any ideas?


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

gizzard said:


> could you keep a load of different ladybird species together? would make one hell of a display... especially if they breed.
> how would you set it up though?* im thinking a tall tank with a small rose in there infested with aphids*... but i suppose you could use nettles instead. any ideas?


 
That sounds lovely.

Not sure if you could keep different species together, but possibly.


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## Melonhelmet (Nov 11, 2008)

Im Thinking Homemade Plastive Viv, And Culturing Aphids/


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

When I was younger I got a fish tank about 12" round and 18" high, put some baked top soil in the bottom, went to the local florist picked out some flowers (different coloured roses, silk lillys, tulips etc) and put them in a vase in the tank and got some lady birds, put them in 8 months later had 100+ and set some free, kept alot of them for ages...at least 18months before they died. They were amazing, never had any problems with them and we used to mix sugar with warm water and then put some on our hands and they used to eat from our hands :flrt: and for water we got a silk plant and took it out and sprayed it AWAY from the tank in the morning and evening and they would drink from that. Worked for us.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Sounds good.

Would you do it again?


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## gizzard (May 5, 2008)

i think a poll needs to be made


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

enlightenment said:


> Sounds good.
> 
> Would you do it again?


Me?
If so, yes, 100% . Hope to gather some more up this summer if I can find any 
Oh and I have to try get some aphids...before I just got some bramble and put it in a corner of the garden and kept the compost moist, they all got attracted to it and I picked up the bramble, put it in the tank and let them breed for 2-3 months then started collecting up the ladybirds,.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

LoveForLizards said:


> Me?
> If so, yes, 100% . Hope to gather some more up this summer if I can find any


 
You can buy them.



*Thinks - I wonder if they would eat fruitflies?*

HOW TO BUY LADYBIRD LARVAE OR ADULT INSECTS 

Call Gardening Naturally (0845 680 0296 or 01285 654241) to buy your native ladybird larvae or adult insects. 

Adult insects – approx 25 (will treat an area of 5m squared) - £14.95 

Ladybird larvae – approx 30 (will treat an area of 5m squared) - £9.95 

Ladybird larvae – approx 250 (will treat an area of 40m squared) - £39.49 

100 larvae in a release bag for a tree - £19.94 

Ladybird house - £13.50 

You can also buy ladybird houses from the National Trust The National


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

gizzard said:


> i think a poll needs to be made


Lol.

Off you jog then, fella!

:lol2:


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

enlightenment said:


> You can buy them.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I would have thought so *goes to wikipedia*.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

Ladybug Questions & Answers


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

lycanlord20 said:


> Just found this lol
> 
> HOW TO BUY LADYBIRD LARVAE OR ADULT INSECTS
> 
> ...


 
Actually, that works out relatively expensive..

Imo..


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## TheToad888 (Dec 18, 2008)

Yes! Sure i would if i could get hold of some!


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

enlightenment said:


> Actually, that works out relatively expensive..
> 
> Imo..


Yeah, it does especially if your only an invert keeper/hobbiest. Would rather just set out an aphid culture and hope for the best :lol2:


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Shame I never got around to trying this.

Still say it would have looked great.


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## mikemike118 (Aug 15, 2009)

*shed*

i was taking my aunts concrete flatpack garage down (if you understand what i mean) and there were loads of the things in the rotting wood gate, i think there was around 100 or so......:flrt:


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Someone (might have been Panda), told me that a person they know permits LB's to roam_ inside_ their house, as it dealt efficiently with a fruitfly problem that they were having.

Probably would work.

Odd though.

If I was at that house, and a ladybird crawled on me, it would be like 'Oh, that's nice, a ladybird'. Now, were it some plain black beetle of the same size, you would likely form a different outlook.

Very visual creatures, we are..


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## spider_duck (Feb 25, 2008)

During the summer my friend and I used to find loads of them on our breaks and put them on top of the red phone box for "camouflage" :lol2:

I would keep them given the chance, no idea where id get the aphids though? Could they be cultured? 

This requires pondering further :hmm:


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

spider_duck said:


> During the summer my friend and I used to find loads of them on our breaks and put them on top of the red phone box for "camouflage" :lol2:
> 
> I would keep them given the chance*, no idea where id get the aphids though? Could they be cultured? *
> 
> This requires pondering further :hmm:


Fruit flies work just as well.

Apparently.


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## spider_duck (Feb 25, 2008)

If only Rie was convincable eh :lol2:

I love ladybirds. I found one when I was younger and named her Maude. She sat on me for the whole day as I went about my busines. I walked into a public loo......off she flew into a bug light. Oh how I cried


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