10 July 2025

Customer Question about Ladybird Larvae and UPDATE

Q. Hello, I recently purchased 100 ladybird larvae. I was concerned when they arrived as I could only see 6 tiny larvae.  I’ve now waited 9 days and have only seen 2 larvae on my plant. Is this normal or do I need a refund or a new delivery of larvae. Thank you.” Anne by email

A. Thanks for the message and our Ladybird Larvae can be hard to see as they are newly hatched, but we send out hundreds of packs of these each week and they are quality controlled before they are dispatched, so please be assured they are in there. The round discs of paper have ladybird eggs on – from these emerge the tiny larvae and it is these we dispatch – they are very small and hide in the shredded paper. They then grow and shed their skins, so the remains of the eggs on the discs and the dried out shed skins of the growing larvae, are often mistaken for dead larvae as they look like dried out dead larvae. Meanwhile the larvae will have been hiding in the shredded paper (they are very small). Once they have crawled out of the bags they will be off doing what we want them to do i.e. eating and turning into adult ladybirds. The larvae take 3-5 weeks to pupate and turn into adults and these will breed to produce the next generation of ladybird larvae. It is much better to monitor the plants as a reduction in aphids is a much better indicator of the larvae working.

Reply – “Just to give you an update, I now have LOTS of visible larvae and even a few ladybirds appearing! Thanks. “ Anne

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