Letting the Ladybugs Go

Scott and I got Isaac and Eric a Ladybug Land for their birthdays in July. It is a plastic "land" made for harvesting ladybugs, and it has a clear plastic, dome shaped cover....so cool huh?? After it arrived, we had to mail in a card so the LIVE ladybug larva would be mailed to us. So, we waited about 2 weeks and they finally arrived!! Those of you who have known me for a while know that I DO NOT like bugs.....it's amazing the things you do after becoming a parent. But, I will say, ladybugs are not very much like bugs....I mean, they are cute and they don't bite : ) so I was okay with them.

However, the larva look more like a yucky bug....almost like a miniature lizard or something. I think there were about 11 or 12 larva. They arrived in a clear plastic tube, along with enough "food" (which looked to me like sand) and a few strips of paper that were supposed to hold water. The instructions told us to dump the entire contents of the tube into the ladybug land....so we did. All we had to do to keep them alive was give them a few drops of water every other day. And the adventure began!!

They started crawling around all over the place. It was really cool, because they would all move around at the same time. Then they would all be still, and I guess sleep at the same time. We counted them several times a day to see if they were all doing ok...and they were!! All 11 stayed in the larva stage for about a week. Then they started changing into the pupa stage....which at first, I thought they were dying!! I had not read about what was going to happen in the pupa stage, but basically they attach to something....which was the side of the clear dome....and go into something like a cocoon.....and "sleep" (without moving at ALL) for about 5 to 7 days. During that time, I was praying none of them would die!! Isaac has been asking way too many questions lately about dieing, heaven, meeting Jesus, and all of that. I just knew if any of the bugs didn't make it, I was going to have more questions of the like coming my way.

Sure enough, after only 5 days, they started to wake up and move around...one at a time. This stage is adult...which is what we know as a ladybug. The first day they looked pale, but everyday they got more and more color. I had to drop 2 raisins into the "land" for them to eat....which they did! The instructions said that we should only keep the adult ladybugs for about 5 days in the land, or they would start to die. But if we let them go outside, they could live up too 2 years! Can you believe that?

So, we let the ladybugs go last night after dinner. Eric and Isaac were both so excited to let them out of the land. I was afraid they might not want to do it, but they both loved it!! Some of them crawled out on their own, and we had to help a few out as well. One crawled out and then crawled onto Eric's shoe and up his leg. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not...it was so cute. And one crawled onto Isaac's finger....he LOVED it!!

We let them go right in front of our house by some shrubs....so if we see some ladybugs in the next couple of years, of course we are going to think they are our babies : ) Definitely worth the $20!! We will be purchasing some new ladybug larva in the future I am sure.