Generalist · Aphids
Ladybugs
The fastest answer we sell for a visible aphid colony — and the larvae that follow a week later are the half that finishes it.
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How many, and how often
Measure the floor area you are covering, not the number of pots. Then release at dusk onto watered plants, low on the stem — that matters more than the quantity does.
How bad is it?
Pick the one that sounds like your room. If you are between two, take the higher.
How many square feet are you covering?
Six-inch pots. Count a large specimen with a dense canopy as three or four.
Your size and schedule
More about this dose
The three things people ask once they have their size. Open any of them.
Why more than one round?
Putting it out
- Water or mist the plants first. Beetles look for a drink before a meal, and a thirsty beetle leaves to find one. This is the step people skip and then wonder about.
- Wait for dusk, or fifteen minutes after lights-out. Never in daylight. Warm daytime beetles fly first and hunt later; in the dark they walk up the plant and find the colony overnight.
- Indoors, close the windows and turn the bright lights off for the night. These beetles fly toward the strongest light source, so a lit lamp is a competing destination.
- Sprinkle them low — lower stems or the soil at the base, never on top of the plant. They climb toward the aphids and scan every leaf on the way up.
- Put out a portion, and refrigerate the rest. Cold holds them in diapause for about a week — never the freezer — so you can release again over several nights.
- Look for the alligators about a week later. Spiked, dark, faintly prehistoric larvae on the leaves. Those are the next generation, and they hunt harder than the adults.
Everything else is optional. Get these four and the release has done what it can.
A cleaner way
On a display plant, tip small piles into bio-boxes or paper cups hung in the branches instead of dusting the foliage. Same dose, nothing visible on the leaf.
The failure is forgetting. Very few programs fail because the mite underperformed. They fail in week five, when the plants look fine, the reorder does not happen, and the population holding the line ages out with nothing behind it.
A schedule is the same decision, made once. A tube when it looks bad, then another when it looks bad again, is already a rhythm — just one you have to remember at the exact moment the plants look fine.
Change the size or the frequency, skip a box, pause or cancel from your account at any time.
Is this the right beneficial for your problem?
Five questions, in the order a grower actually asks them: what have you got, is this the answer to it, what will it eat, how does it do the killing, and will it survive your room.
Is this your pest?
Ladybugs are the fastest answer we sell, and the most straightforward. If you can see the pest and it is soft-bodied, this is probably the thing to reach for.
Aphids cluster on new growth and the undersides of leaves, soft and pear-shaped, leaving sticky honeydew behind them and often a line of ants running up the stem to farm it. Mealybugs show as white cottony patches in leaf axils; soft scale as small fixed bumps on stems.
The Convergent Lady Beetle, Hippodamia convergens, is the original broad-spectrum predator of the North American garden. Aphids above all — a single beetle clears dozens a day — plus the young mobile stages of mealybug and soft scale, and the eggs of moths and other garden invaders. Thrips larvae and spider mites get taken opportunistically: an extra layer, not the answer. What it cannot do is reach the microscopic pests hidden in the tight crevices of new growth — broad and russet mites need a predatory mite instead.
Then: are ladybugs the right answer to it?
Choose this if
Choose them for large, visible colonies of aphids or other soft-bodied pests, when you want the numbers down quickly. Where a predatory mite is a scalpel, this is the 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 undersides and tight growing tips a spray never touches, and aphids cannot develop resistance to being eaten. They are also the cheapest predator per head in the catalogue, because this is the one beneficial we carry that is wild-caught rather than farmed.
Choose something else if
Anything microscopic and hidden is the wrong job — spider mites, broad mites and russet mites want a predatory mite, and adult mealybugs want Cryptolaemus. Adults can also fly, and some always do: that is hardwired dispersal, not a defect, but if you need every predator to stay exactly where you put it, green lacewing larvae cannot fly at all and are not distracted by a lamp. And a room under twenty-four-hour lights is working against you, because these beetles head for the brightest thing in it.
What it kills, and what it won't
The beetles you release are not the half that matters most. Adults that find enough food stay and lay, and the spiky, alligator-shaped larvae that turn up about a week later hunt harder than the adults and cannot go anywhere. On a heavy infestation, those larvae are what actually clears it — so give the eggs time to hatch before you judge the release.
How it works
What it does to the pest, what it does on the plant, and what that leaves you looking at.
They climb, and they scan
Released low on the plant, adults crawl upward and check every leaf on the way to the top. That is the whole mechanism, and it is why placement at the base matters more than quantity: a beetle put on top of the plant has already walked past the colony.
Water first, then food
Beetles look for a drink before they look for a meal, and a thirsty one leaves to find it. Misting or watering the plants before release is the single cheapest thing you can do to keep them on the plant — it changes the outcome far more than buying a bigger tube does.
A noisy first night, a quieter week
Expect activity, expect some to leave, and expect the aphid colonies to start visibly thinning within days. Then watch for eggs and larvae, because that second wave is the part that finishes the job.
Release at dusk, never in daylight. Warm daytime beetles fly first and hunt later; released after dark they walk up the plant and find the colony overnight. It is the difference between a release and a very brief visit.
Will it work in your room?
Two things to sort out before release night. Indoors, close the windows and kill the bright lights — these beetles fly toward the strongest light source, and you will otherwise find them on the ceiling by morning. And do not release them the same day as predatory mites: a generalist will occasionally eat a mite it crosses, so run the ladybugs first for the knockdown and the mites five to seven days later.
About the convergent lady beetle
Native, broadly useful and the oldest trick in the biological control book. A blunt instrument in the best sense: it finds the colony on its own and works through it.
New to beneficials?
Five things that catch almost everyone the first time.
After you release it
What actually changes, how fast, and why some of them leave.
How you'll know it's working
Aphid colonies visibly thinning within days, honeydew drying up, and the ants losing interest. Then, about a week in, eggs and larvae.
Some beetles will leave on the first night and that is expected — dispersal is hardwired in adults. The ones that found food and water stay, and those are the ones that lay. Give the eggs time to hatch before deciding whether the release worked.
If a release disappoints, it is almost always the release and not the beetles. Daylight, dry foliage, or tipping them onto the top of the plant. Water first, wait for dark, release low on the stem — it changes the outcome far more than the quantity does.
Getting it to you
What is in the tube, how it travels, and what happens if it arrives wrong.
What arrives
A kraft paper tube of clustered beetles, cool and mostly motionless. They look dead. They are dormant, and they wake as they warm.
Ladybugs are gregarious and travel better packed together than loose, which is why smaller orders ship this way on purpose. If you cannot release tonight, the tube goes in the fridge — not the freezer — and keeps for about a week.
Water the plants before you open it. Beetles look for a drink before a meal, and a thirsty beetle leaves to find one. This is the step people skip and then wonder about.
When it ships, and when it lands
Shipping
We ship when they're ready to travel. Live orders go out Monday to Thursday. If a colony needs a beat to peak, or we're propagating a fresh batch, yours might hold up to a week. All mites and insects ship 2-day or Overnight depending on what's best for them.
When it lands
Release at dusk, or fifteen minutes after lights-out. Water or mist the plants first. Sprinkle the beetles onto the lower stems or the soil at the base of the infested plants, never on top — they climb toward the aphids and scan every leaf on the way. Indoors, close the windows and turn the bright lights off for the night. Then hold the rest in the fridge and put out a portion every few nights: a steady presence beats one dramatic evening.
About the ones that don't make it
Some of them die on the way. That is why we send more than you paid for.
A beetle is a few millimetres and it ships clustered in a paper tube, in a van, for two days.
Roughly 15% will not survive that. We cannot prevent it, so we price it in: the number on the label gets counted out, and then the cushion goes in on top of it.
Your 1,500-beetle tube leaves here holding more than 1,500. The dead ones are already paid for.
If you can see them
Ladybugs, lacewing larvae, Orius — the minute pirate bug — and the beetles. Tip a few onto white paper and give them twenty minutes at room temperature before you judge anybody.
Cold insects are genuinely good at playing dead. The deceased have been known to get up and walk off the counter.
Still more than about one in seven not moving? Photograph them and file a report.
The photo is not us doubting you. It is how we tell a bad batch from a bad courier day from a mailbox that hit 104°F.
If you can't see them
Mites, nematodes and eggs — which is most of what we sell, and none of it is this. Ladybugs are one of the few products you can actually count, so the column on the left is the one that applies to them.
For those products you file the report and our entomologist takes you through a diagnostic instead, because no photograph settles whether a bottle of carrier holds live mites or none.
For ladybugs, just do the twenty-minute test first. Cold, clustered beetles are extremely convincing corpses, and the deceased have been known to get up and walk off the counter.
Seventy-two hours from delivery, either way, with your order number. Replacement or store credit, your pick.
What it does not reach
Three gaps this page has already named, and the beneficial that closes each one.
Green lacewing larvae, which have no wings yet
Adult dispersal is hardwired and some beetles always leave — fine in a greenhouse, maddening in a tent under twenty-four-hour lights, where they head for the lamp. Green lacewing larvae cannot fly at all and are not distracted by light: they go where you put them and stay there, eating aphids the whole time, until they pupate. Fewer predators for the money, but every one of them is still on the plant tomorrow.
Cryptolaemus, the mealybug destroyer
Ladybugs take the young mobile stages of mealybug, which is worth having. What they do not do is get through the waxy adults, once those have settled into a leaf axil and stopped moving. Cryptolaemus montrouzieri is the beetle bred for exactly that job, and its larvae disguise themselves as mealybugs to do it.
Pair the knockdown with something that stays
Ladybugs are a knockdown: two to three weeks of peak activity, then whatever the larvae finish. If thrips are in the picture alongside the aphids, Orius insidiosus often establishes in a warm room with long days and keeps hunting after the beetles have gone. Release the ladybugs first and the specialists five to seven days later — a generalist will occasionally eat a predator it crosses.
Two cheap things that make the rest work harder. Blue cards give you the dated count this page keeps asking you to read. Breeder's Blend is pollen and Artemia; it keeps the population fed through the lull when prey gets scarce.
Questions
Why should I choose Native US Ladybugs over other species?
At FGMN, we only supply the Convergent Lady Beetle (Hippodamia convergens), which is 100% native to North America. Unlike the invasive Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis), our native beetles are ecologically responsible and evolved to hunt local pest complexes without disrupting your local environment. They are the "correct" biological choice for US-based growers.
My ladybugs are all huddling together—is something wrong?
Not at all. Ladybugs are naturally gregarious, meaning they like to huddle for protection and moisture conservation. In the wild, they do this to overwinter. If you see them bunching up after release, it’s usually a sign they are acclimating to the temperature. Once they "warm up" and detect the chemical signals of pests (like aphid honeydew), they will disperse and begin the hunt.
Can I use ladybugs alongside my predatory mites?
Yes, but strategy matters. Ladybugs are generalists and may occasionally snack on a predatory mite if they cross paths. For the best Integrated Pest Management (IPM) results, use ladybugs first to "knock down" a heavy infestation, then wait 5–7 days to release your specialized mites. This ensures the ladybugs do the heavy lifting while the mites handle the precision cleanup.
How long will the ladybugs stay on my plants?
The "residency time" depends on two factors: Food (such as our Breeder's Blend) and Water. If there is a high density of pests and you’ve provided a "hydro-anchor" (misting the leaves), they will stay until the food source is exhausted. Typically, you’ll see peak activity for 2–3 weeks. If they find enough food to lay eggs, their larvae (which look like tiny spiked alligators) will continue the hunt for several more weeks.
Why is it so important to release them at night?
Ladybugs are positively phototactic, meaning they are biologically programmed to fly toward the strongest light source. If you release them during the day or under high-intensity LEDs, they will fly toward the sun or the bulbs and off your plants. Releasing at dusk or "lights-out" allows them to settle, hydrate, and start feeding, which significantly increases your retention rate.
Is it safe to buy ladybugs online during the summer?
Yes, because we don't just "ship and forget." Our packaging is designed to keep your predators cool and clustered. We only ship Monday–Thursday to ensure your order never gets stuck in a hot warehouse over the weekend.
Ordered 150, about 1/3 of them arrived dead in the container.
Hi Sean, we're sorry to hear about the issue with your ladybugs. Please make a claim through the link in your email. Assuming you're within the required timelines of the live shipping guarantee, you'd receive a partial store credit.
If you’re looking for ladybugs, look no place else! They arrived quickly, and packaged so well! I watered my plants right before releasing, and highly recommend doing so. They all immediately flicked to the water droplets. My plants were aphid free in less than 48 hours! Will definitely order again next year!
I wish I would have known about this place sooner! I have a rose bush that has been on the property for at least 30 years from my understanding. Maybe more. The aphids got it this year and were out of control. Thousands of aphids covering almost every inch of the rose bush and spreading to other plants. I bought the ladybugs. 800 of them. I placed the container deep in the middle of the bush. Yes some flew away. But most of them stayed. The lady bugs almost completely wiped out the aphids in just a few days. I might have to buy one more package, but they definitely are handling business. Fast shipping, the bugs came alive and well. Definitely buying from here again.
These hungry ladies absolutely went to town on an aphid infestation that I'd been fighting for days. They made short work of it!
So, we had a huge aphid problem on our honeysuckle. I ordered 300 ladybugs, and when they arrived, I watered our vines at dusk, and released the ladybugs per instructions.
And then the next day, there were no signs of ladybugs. Couldn't figure it out - there's a freaking aphid buffet here! Why don't we see any ladybugs eating them?
And then after a bit, there were two or three little ladybug alligator larvae crawling around on the honeysuckle. And then, no aphids.
I don't see any ladybugs now, or larvae. But I also don't see any aphids. So... didn't see the thing happening, but apparently, it happened.
No aphids now. Money well spent, and I didn't have to use chemicals. Godspeed, ladybugs, wherever you may be.
Very easy ordering process with great communication. The lady bugs feasted on the aphids that were plaguing my rose bush. Haven’t seen any more aphids and see an occasional lady bug in the garden. Hopefully they stuck around.
About half of them were dead. They didn’t wake up - I took photos when I released them & the next day. The same group of ladybugs was unresponsive unfortunately. I would expect some to not make it but not this many.
Hi Taryn,
Alas... that can happen! But it's also why we have the Live Guarantee. :) If it's within 24 hours of shipment, please send this picture to the support team and even if it's not 100% dead, they'll at least give you some store credit toward another order. You can reach them at info@fgmnnursery.com
I’ve been interested in biological pest control for awhile but was totally overwhelmed with options and logistics. I found FGMN on PalmStreet and sat in on a live sale. I loved getting my questions answered in real time, and it was a fun and informative way to determine what was right for me.
Shipping was timely as promised, and my little ladies were raring to go when I unboxed.
It’s been 48hr and they’re munching their way through our aphids. I hope they’ll be happy enough to stick around and lay eggs. I do see some dead bugs in the dirt, but I expected there would be a percentage that didn’t survive; it’s definitely not enough to warrant concern, and I will happily order again as needed.
The ladybugs cleaned up all the visible aphids within 12 hours! I am amazed!
Easy process. All my lady bugs were alive upon arrival (the best I could tell anyway lol). Would definitely order again
All 150 were crawling around waiting to start eating the white flies that have been attacking my greenhouse plants. Happyme!
Cute little bug friends arrived ready to get to work and eat the evil aphids that have taken over my plants. They arrived quickly and healthy. The notes on the package and the info card are witty and made me smile. It’s small humorous friendly touches like that- that will make me choose this vendor over others.
The box had a lot less than 150 ladybugs, we counted maybe 40-50and did take pictures. Unfortunately, they did not do much for the aphid infestetion. I did not see any ladybugs go to those plants after they day were released on them. I have moved back to systemics.
Hi! Honestly it looks like you were sent the tube we use for scooping by accident. It did go missing and the pack at the bottom tells me that might be it. Did you reach out to our customer service? They would have absolutely refunded or replaced this. You can easily do that by replying to any of the emails you've received from us, or emailing info@fgmnnursery.com
I don't know what conversations you've had with us, but I'm sorry if it was our mistake! We do make them.
Love these ladybugs, they are now my soldiers and I have launched my attack on the war against the spider mites in my garden. I released them last night and this morning still chowing down.
There were a lot of them in here. I put them next to some plants thinking they would need to be contained for a bit... but they climbed up on those and started eating right away. I've put these on auto-order.
Thanks!
Everything is great so far. I released the ladybugs the evening I received them and they seemed to like their new home right away. A few even started slurping up aphids right away. There’s plenty of food for them so they should be happy and quite full. Hopefully they set up shop and have some babies too. Thank you!
They didnt stay long cause there werent many prey but I still loved it. Hadnt seen ladybugs since I was a kid and this brought me great joy. I see them in the neighbors plants now so I am still benefitting from them since they previnting the aphids from spreading
We released these at Alamo in memory of a friend! They were perfect! Fast shipping and ALIVE! Great service and made our day perfect!
They were all alive which is good. It just didn’t seem like 150 but hey, who knows what 150 ladybugs look like? They didn’t stick around too long. I waited until dusk and watered first. It was worth a try.
I'm shocked with that many aphids they'd wander away! They didn't know how good they had it. If you ever try again, throw a sheet over them for a day. That can force them to settle in (still not a perfect solution). Thank you for your order!
Will these ladybugs bite my leaves?
Hi!
Great question! No, they only want aphids or other pests when they can’t find aphids. They love a good protein meal, not a salad.