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HELP! I'm now in a battle...

A Happy Update

:onfire: Quick update.... The Calvary has arrived!!! :onfire:

I noticed this morning, when checking my plants, a ton (hundreds) of small multi colored caterpillars/worms all over the sides of the bed that has the Aphid problem. Also found several handfuls of them crawling on the plants in this bed. I have just identified them....They are the larvae of the Asian Ladybugs. WooHoohoo!!!

Then I almost cried because I used the awful napalm (Ortho Malathion). But, after my initial despair passed, I decided to check with Ortho's website along with an independent site (http://kellysolutions.com/ok/showpr...lathion+Plus+Insect+Spray+Conc&EPA_Id=239-739) to see if the ladybugs are affected by this spray. Again, Woohoohoooo!!! They are not listed as one of the bugs affected by Malathion. Needless to say, I am stopping all spraying and am just going to watch as these natural Aphid fighters go into a feeding frenzy.

BTW, in one of the houses that we lived, we had such a problem with these Asian Ladybugs that we called an exterminator company to spray the outside of our house. This professional bug killer told us that there really isn't any product that kills these guys (at least none that are legal to use). All he could do was spray the outside of our house with something that kept them from wanting to come in. It kind of worked, but wasn't really worth the $100 he charged to repeat the following years.
 
I have friends with wood homes who vaccuum their ladybugs off their windows for me by the hundreds in the spring.
 
Sounds like good friends.

Its interesting that I discovered these were ladybug larvae. Here I thought they were some sort of 'bad' bug because I saw one of them eating an adult ladybug. But, through my recent research I have learned that it's not uncommon for the larvae of these ladybugs to eat the adults.

I'm just glad that I have figured out what is what and now I don't have to use the napalm anymore...:)
 
Thank god the we got rain that washed off the neem...LOL...Seriously though, all of the larvae seem healthy (I think, they are at least moving around) and the few adults I see seem active as well. Of course, the adults are probably just trying to stay way from all of those cannibal younguns. :lol:
 
:onfire: I checked and doubled...tripled checked throughout the day on the ladybug babies and they all seem to be doing fine. So, I gave them my blessing and wished them happy hunting. Heck, even went as far as inviting them in for the winter...LOL
 
imaguitargod said:
Hmmm,
I remember someone here saying their killed all their ladybugs b/c he sprayed neem a day before he added the little guys....
Click to expand...

that was me...killed all my lady bugs...or else they just died on me...I attributed it to neem cause that is all I had used on the plants...
 
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