| How to Take Care of a Ladybug Posted: 15 Sep 2019 05:00 PM PDT You might not know it, but ladybugs make good pets—they're cute, quiet, easy to catch, and don't take up a lot of space. Though these beautiful bugs are happiest roaming free, you can easily create a comfortable habitat for them in your own home. All you need is a large enclosed container full of sticks and rocks to replicate their natural environment and enough food and water to meet their basic needs. It's a good idea to release your captive ladybugs back into the wild come fall so that they can hibernate and mate to produce a new generation. [Edit]Housing and Feeding Your Ladybug - Set aside an enclosed container to serve as a habitat for your ladybug. Miniature terrariums and bug boxes are designed just for this purpose, but you could also use a large plastic food storage container, or even the box you originally caught your ladybug in. Ladybugs love to fly around and explore, so the more space you can provide, the better. Ideally, the container you use should be around or bigger.[1]
- A soft-bristled brush can come in handy for coaxing your ladybug out of its temporary container and into its new home.[2]
- Make sure that there are holes in your habitat big enough to let air in without letting your ladybugs out.
- Put down some sticks, rocks, or shells to give your ladybug a place to hide. Line the bottom of your container with materials collected from the ladybug's natural habitat, such as grass, leaves, twigs, and small stones. Arrange your cover items throughout the container however you like. That way when your ladybug is feeling shy, it will have somewhere to go to get some privacy.[3]
- If you can't find any good natural structures, a few small pieces of folded cardboard will also do the trick.[4]
- The cover you add will double as a fun obstacle course that will give your ladybug plenty of exercise.
- Feed your ladybug small amounts of raisins, lettuce, or honey every day. Soak 2-3 raisins in water for a couple minutes to soften them up before dropping them into your habitat. You can also tear half of a leaf of lettuce into small pieces and allow your ladybug to graze. Yet another option is to mix a dime-sized blob of honey with 2-3 drops of water inside a bottle cap.[5]
- To avoid overfeeding your ladybug, plan on only giving it food once or twice per day.
- Keep in mind that ladybugs eat a lot for their size, so if you want to take care of a lot of them at once, you'll need to supply enough food to keep them all satisfied.[6]
- Aphids are a dietary staple for ladybugs in the wild. If you plan on keeping your ladybug longer than a week or two, it's recommended that you catch or buy some aphids to keep it happy. You can often find a ready supply of aphids on the same types of plants where you caught your ladybug.
- Place a damp paper towel or sponge inside your habitat as a water source. Wet the paper towel or sponge thoroughly, then wring out most of the excess water. Ladybugs don't drink much, so this should be enough to quench their thirst for days.[7]
- Check your water source every couple of days and change it out or re-wet it when it feels dry to the touch.
- Try not to leave any standing water in your habitat. Since ladybugs are so small, they could easily drown in even a small pool.[8]
- Release your ladybug after a few days so it can thrive in its natural habitat. Ladybugs can get pretty comfortable indoors, but the insect's true home is the outside world. Some may not do as well as others in captivity—they may hide constantly, become anxious or inactive, or display other signs of stress. As difficult as it may be, it's best to return your pet to its preferred environment once you've taken care of it for a little while.[9]
- It's okay to hold onto your ladybug a little longer, as long as you can continue to provide adequate food, water, and room to play and hide.
- Try to release your ladybug at the end of summer while it's still warm outside. Otherwise, it may struggle to find food and shelter.[10]
[Edit]Catching Ladybugs - Look for ladybugs in places with lush growth. Ladybugs can often be found clinging to leaves, blades of grass, and other types of vegetation. They're especially fond of warm, moist areas like fields, glades, and cultivation sites like gardens and crop plots. Just make sure you get permission before hunting for ladybugs on a stranger's property.[11]
- The best time to go looking for ladybugs is late spring or early summer when things are beginning to bloom.
- As the weather starts to cool off, ladybugs often seek out warmth under rocks, inside hollow trees, and around the openings of homes and other structures.[12]
- Scoop up your ladybug gently by hand for a simple solution. Most of the time, catching a ladybug is as easy as reaching out and plucking it from its hiding spot. Once you've got it in your hand, cradle it in your palm and form a "bowl" with your fingers to keep it from scuttling out.[13]
- If you're worried about hurting your ladybug, you can also rest your hand on the surface next to it and wait for it to crawl right on.
- Ladybugs are small, delicate creatures, so be careful not to pinch, squeeze, or grip them too hard.
- Use a net to sweep or "beat" for large numbers of ladybugs at once. Take a small butterfly net and slowly glide it along the edges of tall grasses or the leaves of flowering plants to shake stray ladybugs loose. If that doesn't work, hold your net up under leafy trees and shake or beat the branches to catch the beetles that fall.[14]
- If you don't have a net, another option is to use an upside-down umbrella or tarp to collect the insects and debris that you sweep or beat from thick foliage.
- Craft your own simple ladybug feeder to make the bugs come to you. Hang a section of bamboo, heavy cardboard tubing, or PVC pipe somewhere outside your home and scatter a small handful of damp raisins inside. The fruit will attract ladybugs from the surrounding environment, and the tube will give them a place to live, play, mate, and relax.[15]
- You can turn pretty much any tube-like object into a ladybug feeder, including glass jars and old aluminum food cans. If you want your feeder to be able to stand up to rain and other weather conditions, go with a more durable material like bamboo, PVC, or metal.
- Lure ladybugs in after dark using a makeshift light tent. Prop a sheet of plywood or cardboard, a lawn chair, or a similar flat surface against one of the exterior walls of your home and drape a white cloth over it. Plug in a small flood light or black light in front of the covered board and leave it on for a few hours after dusk. As ladybugs begin to gather on the cloth, simply brush them off into a small collection container.[16]
- You can pick up a cheap portable flood light or black light from your local hardware store or home improvement center for as little as $10.
- UV light will draw curious ladybugs out of hiding, much the same way it does moths and other insects.
- Store your ladybug in a box or jar until you can set up a habitat for it. After you've succeeded in catching one or more ladybugs, transfer them to a small ventilated container until you can prepare a more suitable shelter. Don't forget to poke holes in the top of the container so that your ladybug will be able to breathe.
- Cardboard food boxes with resealable flaps make excellent temporary housing for ladybugs.
- Don't leave your ladybug in its capture container for more than a few hours. If it overheats or loses oxygen, it may die.
- Look for aphids to feed your ladybugs on the undersides of the leaves and stems of flowering plants and trees. Aphids are tiny, semi-translucent insects that are typically light green in color, though they may also be white, yellow, red, brown, or black.
[Edit]Warnings - Glass containers don't make suitable habitats for ladybugs. Glass has a tendency to hold heat and could kill your pets if it gets too warm.
- Ladybug bites can cause minor itching and irritation, so it may be safer to use a stick, brush, or similar tool to collect and move the critters if you want to avoid discomfort.
- Always wash your hands after handling ladybugs. The insects secrete a foul-smelling fluid when scared or threatened, and in some cases have been known to carry diseases.
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Housing and Feeding Your Ladybug - Large enclosed container
- Grass, leaves, twigs, or shredded paper
- Rocks, sticks, shells, and other natural structures
- Raisins, lettuce, or honey
- Paper towel or sponge
- Small terrarium or bug box (optional)
- Soft-bristled brush (optional)
- Cardboard (optional)
- Spray bottle (optional)
- Aphids (optional—for feeding)
[Edit]Catching Ladybugs - Ventilated box or jar
- Butterfly net (optional)
- Umbrella or plastic tarp (optional)
- Bamboo, PVC pipe, or cardboard tubing (optional—for ladybug feeder)
- Plywood sheet, white cloth, and flood light or black light (optional—for light tent)
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Store Sleeping Bags Posted: 15 Sep 2019 09:00 AM PDT Whether you're a weekend warrior who uses your sleeping bag to go camping every week, or you just use it for a once-a-year backpacking trip, it's important to know how to properly store your sleeping bag to maintain its quality. First of all, you'll need to clean, air out, and completely dry your sleeping bag before you stow it away. Then, pick one of several methods to store your sleeping bag in a cool, dry place. Make sure it isn't compressed so it holds its form and will keep you warm for years to come. [Edit]Cleaning Your Sleeping Bag for Storage - Spot clean your sleeping bag after every trip. Dampen any dirty spots on the bag with water and rub a bit of laundry detergent in with your fingertips. Use an old clean toothbrush to scrub any tough spots out. Rinse the soap off once the spot is clean.[1]
- Do this after every trip you take your sleeping bag on to remove any dirt before you store it. If you just lightly used your sleeping bag and it is not dirty at all, then you don't need to clean it before storage.
- Let your sleeping bag air dry after spot cleaning before you store it.
- Hang your bag up for 24 hours to air it out after a trip. Hang your bag in an open, dry place where it can air out. This will get rid of any odors before storing it as well as make sure that it is completely dry.[2]
- If it's dry and you have a laundry line outside your home, this is an ideal spot to hang it so it gets the most air flow. If not, you can hang it from a clothes hanger somewhere inside or drape it over a pair of chairs.
- Wash your bag in a front-loading machine if it smells bad or is super dirty. Don't wash your sleeping bag after every trip or it will lose its loft (the fluffiness that keeps you warm) due to excessive washing. Use warm water and mild laundry detergent and wash it on the gentle cycle.[3]
- It's important to only use a front-loading washing machine because the agitators in top-loading home washing machines can twist and damage the bag. If you don't have a front-loading washing machine at home, then take your bag to a laundromat and use one of the big ones.
- You can wash your bag about once a year, even if it's not dirty, to help restore the loft if it begins to lose its fluffiness after continued use.
- Dry your bag on low-heat tumble dry if you machine-washed it. Grab the bag out of the washing machine and support its entire weight with your arms while you transfer it to the drying machine. Dry it on the lowest heat setting for 2-5 hours or until it is completely dry.[4]
- Sleeping bags are easier to tear and damage when they are soggy and heavy, so this is why it's important to support the whole weight of the bag when you transfer it to the dryer.
- You can throw 1-2 tennis balls in the dryer with your sleeping bag to help fluff it up again.
- Using a drying machine is only necessary for sleeping bags that are totally wet from a washing machine. If you spot cleaned your sleeping bag, you can just hang it to air dry.
[Edit]Stowing Away Sleeping Bags Properly - Make sure your sleeping bag is completely dry before you store it. Never store a sleeping bag when it is wet or it will start to mold and can even fall apart eventually. Double-check the bag all over before your store it to make sure there are no wet spots anywhere.[5]
- If there are any wet spots, then hang the bag up to dry until they are gone completely.
- Remember to air dry and air out your sleeping bag for 24 hours after using it on a trip.
- Shake the sleeping bag vigorously to fluff it up before storing it. Hold the sleeping bag with both hands at one end and shake it in the air like you are putting a sheet on a bed. This will help evenly distribute all the insulation and restore the loft of the bag before you put it away.[6]
- This is especially important if you had your sleeping bag stored in a compression sack during a trip. If you compress a sleeping bag during storage, then it will lose its loft over time.
- Hang your sleeping bag in a dry closet or storage room if you have space. The ideal way to store a sleeping bag so that it gets lots of air flow and isn't compressed at all is to hang it. Hang it on a clothes hanger in a closet or on a hook in a storage room if you can.[7]
- Many sleeping bags have a small loop on one end to use for hanging them from a hook.
- Lay out your sleeping bag under a bed if you don't have closet space. This is another way to store a sleeping bag without compressing it. Lay it out flat lengthwise underneath a bed with nothing on top of it.[8]
- Make sure you clean underneath your bed if you are going to use this method. Otherwise, you might pull out a dusty sleeping bag next time you want to use it.
- Store the bag loosely in a breathable stuff sack if you have limited space. Sleeping bags often come with a larger cotton storage sack in addition to their compression sacks. Loosely shove the sleeping bag into this sack or into a king-sized pillowcase if you need to fit it into a smaller space.[9]
- Whatever storage sack you use should be made of cotton so that it is breathable and keeps your sleeping bag fresh.
- Make sure wherever you place the stuff sack with the sleeping bag in it stays cool and dry at all times.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Laundry detergent
- Water
- Toothbrush
- Front-loading washing machine (optional)
- Drying machine (optional)
- Coat hanger or storage hook (optional)
- Breathable stuff sack (optional)
[Edit]References |
| How to Rake a Zen Garden Posted: 15 Sep 2019 01:00 AM PDT For centuries, monks in Japan have perfected the art of raking zen gardens to reach a meditative state. Now, people around the world build Japanese-inspired gardens and rake the gravel or sand into beautiful patterns. Start by learning how to rake a garden into the water drop design, one of the most common patterns. After you've learned the basics, you can experiment with other patterns or create your own. Soon you will be feeling serene as you practice this old art. [Edit]Preparing the Surface - Remove any leaves and sticks to create a flat surface. You want your garden to be clear of debris so that your design stands out. If there are just a few scattered leaves, you can pick them up with your hands. If there are a lot, it will be easier to use a broom.[1]
- Smooth the gravel or sand with a metal rake so the pattern will show up. Use a fine toothed metal rake to smooth out the gravel to an even thickness. You don't want any mounds or dips in the gravel. The metal rake will trace fine lines in the gravel, but they will get covered by your design.[2]
- You can get a metal rake at most gardening stores.
- Choose a pattern that accommodates your garden's best features. Take into account the elements in the garden. Does the garden feature large stones? A tree? A walkway? Plan your design to best feature these elements.
- It's important to have a pattern in mind before you start raking. That way, you can plan ahead about which part of the garden to rake first, so that you don't end up stepping on your design and messing it up with footprints.[3]
- The water drop wave pattern is one of the most common methods. It's called maru-uzu-mon in Japanese. It features straight lines across the whole garden, broken up by circles tracing around the large stones. The circles create the illusion of ripples in water.[4]
[Edit]Raking in a Water Drop Wave Pattern - Rake straight lines across the gravel or sand with the wide-toothed wooden rake. Start at one side of the garden and pull the rake all the way to the other side in a straight line. Then turn around and rake beside your previous lines. [5]
- The wide-toothed wooden rake is different from most gardening rakes. Its teeth are large and set far apart so that they can trace deep grooves into the sand or gravel. You can get a wooden rake specifically for Japanese gardening at many garden stores or online.
- Make sure not to step on your lines! If you do, go over them again with the wooden rake.
- Pick up your rake to go over any stones or large garden elements. Continue raking as close as possible on the other side. Keep raking until most of the garden is covered in straight lines.[6]
- Hop up onto the edge of the garden whenever you can to avoid stepping on your lines. [7]
- Rake circles around the large stones to create the illusion of ripples. Stand on the stone, if possible, and drag the wooden rake in a circle around the stone. Repeat until the grooves in the gravel are deep and precise.[8]
- Step lightly if you have to step on your design. Try to spread your weight evenly over your toes. This takes a lot of practice, so don't worry if your footprints show up. Just drag the rake after the footprints to cover them up.[9]
- Breathe deeply and relish the peace. Remember, raking a zen garden is more about your state of mind than the finished product. Take deep breaths and try to focus on the calming motion of raking the pebbles.[10]
- Don't worry if the pattern doesn't look perfect! After a lot of practice, the raking will get easier.
[Edit]Experimenting with Other Designs - Play with long, wavy lines in the sand or gravel to imitate a stream. Just drag your rake with a gentle wiggle to create the look of a stream. In Japanese gardening, a meandering stream pattern is called Kyokusen-mon.[11]
- Try simple, straight lines that extend across the whole garden. These patterns are called chokusen-mon. If your garden has many other elements, like a pond, or many rocks, a simple straight-line design will make it feel uncluttered, and lead the eye soothingly across the landscape.[12]
- Construct raised mounds in the sand or gravel. These mounds are called mori-zuna. They traditionally represent the water that visitors to a temple would use to ritually purify themselves. The mounds can also have an aesthetic purpose to guide the eye around the garden.[13]
- You can then make the ripple pattern around your raised mounds to accentuate them.
- Create your own design. Combine elements of circles, straight lines, and wiggly lines to make your own pattern that best fits your garden, the season, and your mood. In traditional Japanese gardens, monks often change the raking pattern to fit the season. [14]
- A straight line pattern can evoke a frozen winter landscape.[15]
- Curvy lines can bring to mind rushing water in spring or summer.[16]
- Trace the shape of a fallen leaf in a meandering stream pattern to create an autumn scene.[17]
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Soft broom
- Fine-toothed metal rake
- Wide-toothed wooden rake
- You can buy a wooden rake in most gardening stores, or buy them online.
- Wear soft-soled shoes to help make your footsteps less prominent. Traditional Japanese gardening shoes are called jikatabi. Soft-soled martial arts shoes will work too.[18]
- If you don't have easy access to a real zen garden, you can make a tiny one for your desk! Just fill a big rectangular dish with sand, and add in stones for decoration. You can use a fork, back scratcher, or miniature rake to make designs in your tiny garden.[19]
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References |
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