misc Just released some ladybugs...

badnews222

badnews222

Got a bit of an aphid situation over here...dishsoap and water doesnt seem to be controlling them...rather than going the pesticed route, gonna try some ladybugs. Ill keep you all posted how effective they are.
 
I have 15 plants growing in our greenhouse/shed...and let them loose in there
 
 i guess they arent very hungry, there just walking over and bypassing the bugs. Hopefully they get hungry as the night goes on...ha :party:
 
Hopefully you didn't get them from Amazon. 
 
Did you give them water before you released them? Typically the way to do this is to soak some cotton balls then place them where the ladies can get them. If they don't start eating the aphids within a few days, you may have gotten them from a vendor who gives them an alternate food source. Some raised like that seem not to know how to hunt. In other words, try a different vendor. I've gotten ladybugs from two vendors - the first was through Amazon and they didn't eat the aphids. I switched and now get them regularly from the other vendor, as they make the aphids disappear in very short order. Unfortunately, that vendor does not ship to Canada.
 
The larva are the ones that go after the aphids, adults primarily feed on nectar and pollen. I have three plants on my balcony that were infested with aphids, could not control them at all. Then I found some lady bug eggs on one plant, now there are baby lady bugs on all three plants and the aphids are mostly all gone. I think I counted like 3 larva, but there could have been more. Adults have been hanging around and laying more eggs too. Hang in there!
 
geeme said:
Hopefully you didn't get them from Amazon. 
 
Did you give them water before you released them? Typically the way to do this is to soak some cotton balls then place them where the ladies can get them. If they don't start eating the aphids within a few days, you may have gotten them from a vendor who gives them an alternate food source. Some raised like that seem not to know how to hunt. In other words, try a different vendor. I've gotten ladybugs from two vendors - the first was through Amazon and they didn't eat the aphids. I switched and now get them regularly from the other vendor, as they make the aphids disappear in very short order. Unfortunately, that vendor does not ship to Canada.
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i got them from a local nursery. i soaked all the foliage with water with a spray bottle, so hopefully they get some water that way. I took a look at them this morning, and didnt really see them doin anything. im thinking ill have to give it a couple of days for the larvae to hatch.
 
     As Fil said, adults eat a lot of nectar and pollen. Put some flowers in with your peppers to give them some nutrition and habitat to ensure that they and their progeny stay put. Hopefully you can start to maintain a local population.
 
Hybrid Mode 01 said:
     As Fil said, adults eat a lot of nectar and pollen. Put some flowers in with your peppers to give them some nutrition and habitat to ensure that they and their progeny stay put. Hopefully you can start to maintain a local population.
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i just released the other half of the batch about 5 mins ago, and its literally an orgy of ladybugs in there...they seem to all be humping in there...LOL. Gonna try putting some flowers in there with them! Thanks Hybrid!
 
 
 
i just released the other half of the batch about 5 mins ago, and its literally an orgy of ladybugs in there...they seem to all be humping in there...LOL. Gonna try putting some flowers in there with them! Thanks Hybrid!


borage and lavender I think are known as crack for beneficials
 
filmost said:
borage and lavender I think are known as crack for beneficials
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     Cool. I know where I can get those nearby. Probably at a discount this time of year, too. Thanks for the heads up!
 
Hybrid Mode 01 said:
     As Fil said, adults eat a lot of nectar and pollen. Put some flowers in with your peppers to give them some nutrition and habitat to ensure that they and their progeny stay put. Hopefully you can start to maintain a local population.
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Is it normal for two days later that you wouldnt see any? i released a couple of hundred in a greenhouse, and now dont see any signs aside from the few dead ones in some of the soil...
 
badnews222 said:
 
Is it normal for two days later that you wouldnt see any? i released a couple of hundred in a greenhouse, and now dont see any signs aside from the few dead ones in some of the soil...
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     Unfortunately, I'm not the one to ask. I take more of the "If you build it, they will come" approach. I've never bought bugs.
     Keep your eyes peeled for ladybug eggs while scouting your plants. Maybe they left something behind before they took off.
 
Just to update on the ladybugs/aphyid situation...its been just a little over 2 weeks now and i dont see many ladybugs around anymore, but i can see eggs on some of the leaves, and have noticed at least one or two larvae on each plant...and for what  its worth there has been a definite reduction in the amount of aphyids i have now!
So for all the newbies growing peppers out there ladybugs do work. You may not see them but they are definitely having an effect on the pest population!
Anybody living in the toronto / durham region i got my ladybugs from vandermeer nursery in ajax...a bag with hundreds of them for 20 bucks.
 
So now all i have to do is get rid of all the ants crawling over my plants...ha!
 
I was lucky enough to have some hitch a ride while bringing an overwintered severely infested plant back & forth outside to reharden in the spring. They lived inside with the plant for over a month. I was sad to see they took off one day while outside. Then I saw the gifts they left behind. The larva devoured every last bug (both scale and aphid), and left my Dragon clean as a whistle when they were done.
 

 

 
 
They have never failed me. I know there are other bugs that eat aphids too but I have a fresh batch of ladybugs hatch each year and keep the garden free of the little buggers. i don't have to buy any each year. If I get aphids on seedlings I have inside I just get them outside ASAP and the natural predators take over.
 
From what I read they look for the most infested plants to lay their eggs. That helps ensure their young will have plenty of food. The adults do feed as well, once they're full, they lay their eggs.

I grow organic only so they were a great relief to have come along and completely eradicate all my pests.

badnews222 said:
So now all i have to do is get rid of all the ants crawling over my plants...ha!
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I would leave the ants be, they are great pollinators, I have a large anthill at the base of one of my scotch bonnets and it's doing great.

Green lacewings will devour them as well as aphids if they get out of control.
 
MadDog said:
I would leave the ants be, they are great pollinators, I have a large anthill at the base of one of my scotch bonnets and it's doing great.

Green lacewings will devour them as well as aphids if they get out of control.
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     Seconded. Ants also break down organic matter and aerate the soil. Once a garden has a healthy ladybug population to keep aphids in check, there's no reason to try to eradicate ants.
 
I released to containers of ladybugs over the last month. I have to many plants to look for eggs. Hopefully the laid some in my yard. There are no ladybugs to be found anywhere but its been in the mid 90's to 100's here and I've been told they do not like the heat. One nursery stopped carrying them as they said its to hot for them ion our area.
 
SavinaRed said:
I released to containers of ladybugs over the last month. I have to many plants to look for eggs. Hopefully the laid some in my yard. There are no ladybugs to be found anywhere but its been in the mid 90's to 100's here and I've been told they do not like the heat. One nursery stopped carrying them as they said its to hot for them ion our area.
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     Did you provide habitat for them? Marigolds? Borage? Lantana? etc...
 
I had "ok" results with ladybugs this season .Mine ate some aphids in the greenhouse, but mostly the ones at the top of the plants. They did a poor job on the underside of leaves. Like many said, they started procreating within days (which means they're eating), and laying eggs everywhere. That meant I had a ton of "baby alligators" and a second round of pupating ladybugs all over the plants which hatched shortly shortly after potting up. Two months later, I am still seeing more ladybugs outside than usual. Aphids are typically an issue during my inside grow and spring but fade when the plants get established outside.
 
So, they didn't eat as many aphids as I hoped but releasing them in the greenhouse gave me a whole new generation to go outside.
 
SavinaRed said:
I released to containers of ladybugs over the last month. I have to many plants to look for eggs. Hopefully the laid some in my yard. There are no ladybugs to be found anywhere but its been in the mid 90's to 100's here and I've been told they do not like the heat. One nursery stopped carrying them as they said its to hot for them ion our area.
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I wouldn't "sweat" it, if it's that hot then the aphids aren't going to like it either. Here's a snippet from a study on aphid temperature tolerance...

But in the hot experiment, the difference between life and death was only 3°C. Aphids stopped moving at 39°C and at 41-42°C they go into a heat coma and die. This lack of tolerance to hot temperature was seen for all three species, including the groups accustomed to higher temperature.
 
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