How to Catch Ladybugs

Co-authored by Scott McCombe

Last Updated: April 29, 2022 References

Ladybugs are a great form of natural pest control, a fun insect for kids to keep as a short-term pet, and a beautiful little critter to photograph if you’re interested in macro photography. They can be found almost anywhere in the world, as long as it gets warm for at least part of the year, so you’re almost sure to encounter ladybugs if you put your mind to it! Gather ladybugs in a ventilated jar, then release them in your own garden right away to eat pests like aphids, keep them as pets until summer is over, or let them go after you take some photos. Whatever you decide to do with the ladybugs you catch, make sure to release them back into the wild so they can fulfill their role in nature.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Collecting Ladybugs with a Jar, Sheet, or Blacklight

1
Tap ladybugs into a jar from woody, tough, or thorny plants. Hold the mouth of the jar below a ladybug. Carefully tap the plant using a stick or your fingers to knock the ladybug off into the jar, then put the lid on.^{[1]
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- This method works well for collecting ladybugs from things like trees, scraggly shrubs, or rose bushes, since these types of plants are not soft enough to use a sweep net in.
2
Beat a bush or tree gently to knock ladybugs off onto a sheet. Lay a sheet of some sort on the ground at the base of a bush or tree. Use a stick or dowel to gently beat the bush or tree in the direction of the sheet, then inspect the sheet for fallen ladybugs and transfer them to an insect jar or container.^{[2]
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- It will be easiest to spot the ladybugs if you use a white sheet.
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3
Lure ladybugs with a blacklight. Place a blacklight against a flat surface like a piece of cardboard covered with a white T-shirt or sheet. Turn the blacklight on and wait for ladybugs to land on the flat surface, then carefully pick them up or knock them off into a jar or insect container.^{[3]
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- This works because ladybugs are attracted to the UV light emitted by backlights.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Gathering Ladybugs in a Sweep Net

1
Use a sweep net to collect ladybugs from soft plants. A sweep net consists of a large heavy-duty cloth bag on a metal ring attached to a long pole handle. Use this type of net to catch ladybugs efficiently in soft vegetation like grass, flowers, and weeds.^{[4]
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- You can purchase a sweep net online for about $10 USD.
2
Sweep the net back and forth across the tops of plants while walking slowly. Hold the net’s handle and position the net so that the ring is perpendicular to you and the opening is down in the vegetation. Swing the net gently side to side, turning the opening 180 degrees whenever you switch directions, at a rate of 1 full stroke per step that you take.^{[5]
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- Keep in mind that this will knock off other insects and spiders from plants into your net in addition to ladybugs.
Tip: Try not the sweep the net any deeper than about 15 cm (5.9 in) below the tops of the plants.
3
Dump your sweep net out into a bin to sort through your catches. Gently turn the net face-down over a large bin of some kind, such as a plastic tub or bucket. Pull the bottom of the net out straight towards you and gently shake it to knock all the insects you trapped into the bin.^{[6]
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- It might be a good idea to have someone else helping you who can quickly spot any lady bugs as they fall out of the net and catch them before they have a chance to fly away.
4
Transfer any ladybugs in the bin to a jar with a ventilated lid. Carefully pick up ladybugs and place them into a jar or trap them by turning a jar upside-down over them. Quickly place a lid that has a few tiny holes in it for ventilation over the jar and screw it on tightly to keep the ladybugs confined.^{[7]
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- You can make your own insect jar by poking holes in the lid of any type of jar, such as a mason jar or a recycled peanut butter or jam jar. You can also buy special insect jars and containers online or at a pet shop.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Finding Ladybugs

1
Search for ladybugs on warm days from spring to fall. Ladybugs hibernate in the winter and come out during the warmer months, so wait until the weather starts to get warm in spring to look for ladybugs to catch. They become most abundant in the early summer months before it gets really dry.^{[8]
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- Ladybugs can be found pretty much anywhere in the world, especially in warm climates. They are sometimes known as lady beetles or ladybird beetles.^{[9]
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2
Hunt for ladybugs in lush plant growth. Start your search for ladybugs in areas with lots of plant growth, such as fields with long grass, parks, gardens, and agricultural fields. Ladybugs like to hang out on all kinds of pollenous plants including flowers, weeds, trees, shrubs, grass, and crops.^{[10]
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- Make sure you ask permission from the landowner if you want to look for ladybugs on private property, such as a farmer’s field.
Tip: You can grow certain flowers and herbs like fennel, dill, cilantro, yarrow, caraway, geraniums, cosmos, angelica, tansy, and coreopsis to attract ladybugs to your own garden.^{[11]
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3
Look for ladybugs on plants that have aphids on them. Ladybugs are found in particularly high concentrations around plants that have aphids on them, which they feed on in addition to pollen.^{[12]
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Expert Source

Scott McCombe
Pest Control Specialist
Expert Interview. 19 November 2019.} Inspect the stems, leaves, and buds of vegetation to encounter aphids, then concentrate your search for ladybugs around those plants if you find any.^{[13]
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- Aphids are very small sap-sucking insects that feed off of a variety of plants. They can appear as tiny white, brown, black, gray, yellow, green, or pink spots on a plant. Sometimes they have a waxy or furry coating.