Special Offers - Adult Ladybirds and Ladybird Larvae - Ladybirds are the best known beneficial insect and a welcome sight in the garden, where they happily munch away on greenfly and other tasty pests. Each ladybird will eat about 5000 aphids and will soon produce ladybird larvae which in turn also eat aphids. By releasing ladybirds (available as adults or larvae) in your garden you can boost their numbers and help nature help you control pests. Increasing the number of ladybirds in your garden will lead to a permanent decrease in the number of pests in your garden. Release Ladybirds NOW.

 
Special Offer - Adult Ladybirds - We supply native British Adalia bipunctata ladybirds in tubes / tubs of 25 ready for release in your garden. Sent by 1st class post with their very own packed lunch of popcorn or cereal. Ladybirds are natural predators of aphids (greenfly and blackfly) as well as being a gardener's / youngster's favourite.  By releasing ladybirds, you can permanently increase the number of these beneficial insects in your garden and decrease the number of pests. They should be released directly onto aphid infected plants or dotted around the garden either early in the morning or late evening. Release Adult Ladybirds NOW.

Buy 25 Adult Ladybirds for £14.99
 
Special offer - Buy 100 Adult Ladybirds for £55.00 SAVING £4.96

"Hello, I came to your website looking for natural ways to control pests in my garden as I have a tortoise. I bought ladybirds (with a house) and lacewings to cure the rose of aphids and greenfly with brilliant results and the added bonus of beautiful ladybirds in my garden." Thanks Emma.
"Your ladybirds were beautiful and certainly did the job on my roses & broom. They laid eggs so we had a new batch too" Mrs G. of Worcs.

"Dear Jon, Thanks for my ladybirds - they're beautiful, and are right now feasting on all my aphids!" Susan McKenna-Dempsey.

"The ladybirds just arrived and have been successfully transferred to my beleaguered chili plants, and I am now witnessing aphid carnage! I almost feel guilty, but the poor chili was becoming very shriveled and sorry for itself, and I could never bring myself to use pesticides. So thank you very much for the prompt dispatch and delivery. Hopefully I won't need your services again, but I will definitely recommend you to friends and will return next time I have a pest problem." Best regards, Suzie
 

Ladybird Larvae - The larvae look nothing like their parents, but they have the same appetite for soft -bodied garden pests such as aphids (greenfly and blackfly). Each ladybird larvae will eat a large number of pests before pupating and emerging as a ladybird. As they are supplied as larvae, they are ideal for releasing directly onto plants heavily infected with aphids - as they they are unable to fly and will stay where you put them. Supplied in trays of 50, they are sent by 1st class post ready for release directly into your garden. Release Ladybird larvae NOW.

"I have just scattered the ladybird larvae over the leaves of my blackfly infested cherry-tree. I had little hope as I figured the stuff would all blow off and they would be lost forever. BUT...how wrong I was! There are loads of them out there! Every day I go out to see the little grubs, who are growing day by day. They have spots now. I have even seen one ladybird! They seem to be enjoying the sun today, basking on the leaves. And there are a lot less flies now. So I am really pleased with them." Penny O'Sullivan

Harlequin ladybirds - Green Gardener only supplies native British Adalia bipunctata ladybirds (known as 2 spot) - we do NOT supply Harlequin ladybirds. This foreign ladybird (see right) has spread rapidly through England and into Wales. It isn't a plant pest, but is a concern because of its reputation for eating our native ladybirds. Although there is nothing we can do to control these non- native ladybirds, the RHS said, “The Harlequin ladybird rapidly established itself in England and there is no possibility of eradicating it or preventing its further spread. Gardeners need to accept the fact that the Harlequin ladybird is here to stay.” Boost the numbers of our native ladybirds - repel the invaders!

Lacewing larvae are natural predators of aphids (and other soft bodied pests), able to eat over 300 aphids each. Lacewing larvae occur naturally in the garden, but often aphids numbers explode (especially in warm weather) and the lacewing larvae struggle to eat them all. In fact they will eat any pest in sight including mealy bug, scale and red spider mite etc, so they are a valuable addition to any garden. Lacewing larvae are ideal for clearing up the heaviest of aphid infestations in your garden. Release Lacewing larvae NOW i.e. anytime between May and September.

Lacewing larvae - By releasing extra lacewing larvae, aphids can be controlled WITHOUT using chemicals. Lacewings are attractive flying insects with translucent pale green wings. We send you larvae in a cardboard wafer, tube or tub and these larvae are then sprinkled over affected plants. They soon settle down to feed on aphids and other soft bodied insects such as whitefly and thrip. They will then develop into adult lacewings, which will produce the next generation of larvae to feed on more aphids. Release Lacewing larvae NOW.

• Safe to use - Safe for children, pets and wildlife - no chemical residues.
• Easy to apply - Simply sprinkle the lacewing larvae onto the infected plants (over 250 larvae in each pack).

Lacewing larvae - Lacewing larvae are great value for money - over 250 larvae for £11.99 or an economy tub of 1000 larvae for £34.99 saving a further £12.97 and each larvae is capable of eating 300 aphids! Use them to clear heavy infesations of aphids in the garden i.e. on rose bushes, trees and shrubs or to clear heavy infesations of aphirds in greenhouses and concervatories.

"The rosebuds were horrendous- they were covered in aphids and also lupin stems. Lacewings completely cleared them and I haven't seen any aphids since." S.J. from London SW16

"Thank you so much for the ladybirds, they are doing really well & seem to be quite happy in my garden, as they havent left yet! The lace wings arrived & are also doing well. Thank you for your quick & efficient service, I will be coming back soon for a ladybird house & butterfly house & also a butterfly kit for my nieces. Once again thanks a lot." yours sincerely Tina Wood

"The lacewing larvae were already running about and really pounced on the greenfly when I introduced them in the garden!" Best wishes Penny 

Special Offers - Buy a combination of adult ladybirds, ladybird larvae and lacewing larvae and SAVE MONEY! Release Ladybirds and Lacewing larvae NOW.

The Ladybird Family - Love ladybirds! Why not increase their numbers by releasing both larvae and adults - both reduce the number of aphids (blackfly and greenfly) in your garden naturally. 

The Ladybird Family - 25 Adult ladybirds and 50 ladybird larvae £26.98 saving £2.00

Gardener's Friends Pack - Love ladybirds and lacewings! Increase the number of both these beneficial insects and reduce the number of aphids (blackfly and greenfly) in your garden naturally.

Gardener's Friends Pack - 25 Adult ladybirds and 250 lacewing larvae £24.98 saving £2.00

Ladybird Breeding Kit - The kit contains everything you need to breed your own ladybirds (Adalia Bipunctata), which can then be released into your garden.  Ladybirds are one of the best known beneficial insects and are a welcome sight helping to control a range of pests including aphids. So have a go at breeding your own. Ideal for children, schools or a unique gift. Ladybird Refills are available NOW.

Ladybird Breeding Kit - Study all the stages of ladybird development - see the larvae feed, then pupate and the ladybirds develop before releasing them into your garden to tackle your pest problems. The kit is easy and fun for green gardeners of all ages. The Ladybird Breeding Kit comes complete with a pop-up mesh breeding chamber (10cm high and 15cm in diameter), an educational poster and a certificate for your first 25+ ladybird larvae and food.

How does it work? Send off the freepost voucher included and you will receive 25+ ladybird larvae, food & instructions within 7-10 days. Transfer the larvae to the breeding chamber and add the food. It takes about a month to raise adult ladybirds from larvae. The larvae will feed, grow and shed their skins 3 times before pupating. After a further 6 to 8 days, the adults emerge. At first the adults are yellow, but within a few hours their rear wings harden and turn red. The adult ladybirds can be studied for a few days before releasing them into your garden to tackle your insect pests.

N.B. The ladybird kit is designed to be re-useable. You can re-order ladybird larvae anytime between March and September and reuse the kit. Ladybird Refills are available NOW.

New - Mini Bug Habitats – Introduce your children or grandchildren to the fascinating world of nature with our habitats for ladybirds, lacewings and bees, which are fun and interesting for the children and provide beneficial insects with places to feed, breed and over-winter.

New - Mini Bug Habitats – These three Mini Bug Habitats are designed to attract beneficial insects while being fun and educational for children i.e. they can enjoy choosing where to site them. Each habitat comes with its own different 16 page project book explaining how important beneficial bugs are and encouraging children to record and draw what they observe. There are also instructions on how to make more shelters out of materials that are easy to find i.e. how to make an insect house out of an old plastic bottle.

New - Mini Bug Ladybird Log – This smaller version of our best selling Ladybird House, the Mini Bug  Ladybird Log has been designed with children in mind. Ladybirds are a welcome sight in the garden, where they happily munch away on greenfly and other tasty pests and one of the best ways to attract them to your garden is to provide a safe, dry environment for ladybirds to breed, feed and overwinter in. The Ladybird Log has a hollow central chamber that can be filled with dry grass, dry leaves or straw, which the ladybirds reach through holes drilled in the side. The Mini Bug Ladybird Log comes in colourful packaging making an ideal gift and comes complete with a project book which contains fascinating facts and good pictures of ladybird development. Plus guidance on identifying different coloured / spotted ladybirds. The house can be positioned amongst plants or hung from a fence etc by a metal eye on the back. Meaures 20cm tall and 8cm in diameter.

New - Mini Bug Solitary Bee House – This smaller version of our best selling Solitary Bee Hive, the Mini Bug Solitary Bee House has been designed with children in mind. Gardeners and farmers like solitary bees because they pollinate flowers, herbs, fruit trees and vegetable plants. This wooden beehive (bees prefer wooden nesting sites) is made from durable FSC timber and the solitary bees lay their eggs inside the holes and seal them with mud or chewed up vegetation, so it is easy to tell if it is being used. The following year the adults and their offspring will use the same nest again building up the numbers of bees in your garden each year. Solitary Bees are docile and rarely sting, which makes them ideal for children to study. The Mini Bug Solitary Bee House comes in colourful packaging making an ideal gift and comes complete with a project book which contains fascinating facts and good pictures. The house should be positioned amongst plants on a brick, stone or paving slab. Measures 11cm wide x 12 cm long and 10 cm deep.

New - Mini Bug Bug Box – This Mini Bug Bug Box will attract a wide range of beneficial bugs including lacewings and ladybirds. This insect house consists of holes drilled into a wooden block for insects to nest in and it also comes with hollow canes and straws, which the children assemble to provide another nesting area. The Mini Bug Bug Box provides a safe, dry environment for benefical insects to breed, feed and overwinter in. Ladybirds and Lacewings are a welcome sight in the garden, where they happily munch away on greenfly and other tasty pests and one of the best ways to attract them to your garden is to place a bug box in your garden. The Mini Bug Bug Box comes in colourful packaging making an ideal gift and comes complete with a project book which contains fascinating facts and good pictures of beneficial insects including ladybird larvae. It also contains information on building your own bug boxes out of items such as plastic bottles, straw and cardboard. The bug box is hung from a fence etc by a metal eye on the back. Measures 15cm wide (at largest point) x 11cm deep x 7 cm wide.

Special Offer - Buy all three Mini Bug Habitats for £30.00 saving £4.50

Controlling aphids in trees - Greenfly and blackfly in trees are a BIG problem. Often the first visible symptom of attack is large amounts of sticky honeydew (produced by the aphids as they suck sap from the tree), which drips down on to lower branches, your car, your garden furniture or your patio! Spraying chemicals into large plants and trees is just not practical and harms beneficial insects such as ladybirds and lacewings. It's much better to work with nature - control aphids in tree and large plants NATURALLY by releasing Lacewing Larvae once the aphids are present i.e. NOW.

N.B. Lacewing Larvae are despatched by 1st class post on Thursdays. Please allow 7-14 days for delivery as we have to pre-order our Lacewing Larvae to ensure supply. As there is a set number available each week, if we run out due to high demand, your order will roll to the front of the queue for the following week.

Controlling aphids in trees -  Use our 3 step plan to control aphids in trees naturally :-

Step 1 - Introduce Lacewing Larvae into the tree - Lacewing larvae are predators of aphids, able to eat over 300 aphids each, so by introducing lacewing larvae into the tree, the aphids can be controlled naturally - being very aggresive and mobile the larvae will quickly spread out into the canopy to search out and devour aphids. We supply either :-

• 250 Lacewing Larvae in a cardboard wafer, which is will control aphids in a tree up to 5m tall.
• NEW tub of 1000 Lacewing Larvae for larger trees.

Step 2 - Apply Barrier Glue / Glue Bands around the tree trunks to stop ants from protecting the aphids - Ants will "milk" the aphids for the honeydew they produce and you will often find a trail of ants running up and down the tree trunk. Ants will protect the aphids from the lacewing larvae, so stop the ants by applying barrier glue or glue bands around the tree trunk and this will help the lacewing larvae to control the aphids. The Barrier Glue / Glue Bands form a barrier the ants cannot cross and they should be re-applied as necessary. 
 
Barrier Glue - Can also be applied around pots, table legs etc. It is also ideal for protecting pots from vine weevil. Forms a non- drying , non -toxic barrier crawling insects will not cross.  Supplied as a Twin Pack with handy dispensers.

Glue Bands - Most insects will not try to cross this glue band and those that do will be caught. The green waterproof paper is not attractive to beneficial insects. Glue Bands are supplied in a 3.5m roll with string. Simply cut off the required length, place the band around the trunk, below the lowest branch. Protects apples and other fruit trees against winter moth and protects plants from ants, vine weevil and earwigs.
 
Step 3 - Position a Lacewing Chamber - Unfortunately many lacewings do not survive the winter, so by placing a Lacewing Chamber in your garden, the survival rate of lacewings is dramatically improved and there will be many more around NEXT SPRING to tackle aphids early in the season.

Lacewing Chamber - Lacewing Chambers should be positioned near the trees where you released the lacewing larvae in late summer. The wooden chamber comes ready to use and consists of a sturdy wooden box ,which will last for years and a straw insert ,which is treated with a strong pheromone to attract lacewings to their new home. (Replace insert each in September).

Beech Woolly Aphid control - Beech Woolly Aphid which form dense white colonies on beech leaves during late spring - mid summer. The leaves become very sticky with sugary excretion (honeydew) from the aphids, and this encourages black sooty mould. Leaves curl up as apid numbers increase.

Beech woolly aphid control - Treat as soon as the pest appears and there only have a few curled leaves. The treatment is as follows :-

1. Cut off the badly curled leaves with a hedge trimmer and dispose of them.
2. Spray 3 times @ 4-5 day intervals with our natural spray - SB Invigorator.
3. Then introduce lacewing larvae - an introduction of 500 lacewing is enough for 50 yds or 40m of hedge - simply place in the hedge at equal intervals. Lacewing Larvae are available for release between May and September.
4. Site lacewing chambers in the area in late summer to help build up the lacewing population.

SB Plant Invigorator - This natural spray not only controls a range of pests in a safe and effective way, but it also controls fungal diseases and contains a foliar feed. SB Plant Invigorator has a unique three in one action and can be used to control a range of pests including beech woolly aphid, whitefly, aphids, greenfly, red spider mite & mealy bug both outside and under glass. When used regularly it will reduce fungal diseases such as mildew and it also contains a foliar feed to help plants recover from pest attack.

SB Plant Invigorator controls pests and used regularly will reduce fungal diseases such as mildew. Plus it contains a foliar feed to help plants recover from pest attack. SB Plant Invigorator is not only highly effective, but it is also biodegradable and non -toxic ,which means it can be used in the garden, conservatory or in the greenhouse and on edible plants too - pick and eat straightway. It is suitable for use throughout the year

SB Plant Invigorator is available as a 500ml ready to use spray, as a 250ml concentrate (makes 25 litres of spray) or as a 1 litre super concentrate (makes 500 litres).

Lacewing Chamber - 90% of lacewings do not survive the winter, so the aphids get away to a flying start in spring by placing a lacewing chamber in your garden, their survival rate is dramatically improved and there will be more of them to control the aphids early in the spring.

Lacewing Chamber - Site a lacewing chamber adjacent to aphid affected plants. The wooden chamber comes ready to use and consists of a sturdy wooden box which will last for years and a straw insert which is treated with a strong pheromone to attract the lacewings to their new home. (Recharge each September)