Every-once-in-a-while the teacher in me just has to grab a bunch of kiddos and play school with them. While visiting in hot and humid 'Okrahoma,' the opportunity presented itself. The street the grandkids live on has oodles and kaboodles of kids. . . of all ages . . . of all sizes !
So, it just seemed the obvious thing to do was order 1,500 ladybugs and host a Ladybug Release Party.
I mean, doesn't everyone order bugs and invite kids to chase them ?
Parker created the invitations and Wyatt kept a watchful eye on the ladybugs while they slept in the refrigerator.
Yes, you heard me. We kept them in the refrigerator until the evening of the release.
This calms them down from their shipping experience where they will 'sleep' and live off their 'body fat' until it's time to release them. They appear dead but become active when warmed up.
The ladybugs can be stored up to 3 months, but it depends on the time of year, and some losses can be expected the longer they are stored. They need to be sprinkled with water periodically.
The ladybugs arrived with detailed instructions from Hirt's Gardens.
Because I wanted to make sure they arrived while I was here, we chose the express shipping.
They flew in two days later !
For our little project we had the ladybugs, an insect contraption-thingy, small plastic containers with lids, magnifying glasses. and a spray bottle with a nectar mixture which was included with the ladybugs.
It is suggested to release the ladybugs at early evening and to water all the foliage where they will be released. Once the foliage has been cooled off, you grab Jim and his parents to sugar-coat all the foliage first.
Safety is of utmost importance when dealing with ladybugs, so some of the kiddos came wearing helmets.
Pops and Aunt Lenie seemed to be involved in other topics of discussion.
Guess whose kid isn't too sure she wants to participate ?
After the release, we were finding the ladybugs everywhere.
Pops and Aunt Lenie even combed through the grass looking for them.
It helps to have a flashlight because it gets dark fairly quickly.
The magnifying glasses have a two-fold purpose.
Using them in this manner makes the whole world appear larger.
Instead of captioning every picture that follows, it pretty evident that this was a successful neighborhood block party . . .
Some people believe ladybugs bring good luck.
We hope that joining in and reading this post about our ladybug extravaganza will bring good luck to you !
There are many Nursery Rhyme versions, here's one:
- Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home.
- Your house is on fire;
- Your children all roam.
- Except little Nan
- Who sits in her pan
- Weaving her laces as fast as she can.
