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misc Ladybugs... Death Surrounds me.

MegaSpokaneMan

MegaSpokaneMan

Waited 10 days and released about 1,000 more Ladybugs... it appears that 30 mins later they all are DEAD. Fallen off my plants dead.... My plants are absolutely covered in aphids... I am at a loss... Guess I'll wait a couple days and release the rest to see what happens.... Sucks.

- Sean O.
 
I don't kbnow what would be on them that isn't killing the aphids... I'd hate to use a systemic insecticde as I eat these things... hope fully somthings changes in my luck... my look absolutly disgusting covered in aphids.
 
The only time I had a massive death rate when I released lady bugs ,I think it was because they were refridgerated and I realeased them at sundown outside but the low for that day was 80+ degrees.
I think they got shocked or something.
Also I don't know how long they were in the Nursery fridge before I bought them.

I like Green Lacewings best but they do better outside than indoors.
Aphid wasps were the best for only aphids,but can't handle heat over 80+ degrees for long.
They are the best for aphid control but the downside is that they die when the food is gone.
I do see them outside though for several years after released.They can find places to migrate to.

Indoors mantis ended up eating each other.Adults ate the smaller ones.I ended up with only 1 or 2 and they couldn't keep up with how fast the stuff they eat reproduced.

Don't use a systemic.
I found the ones I tried years ago reduced production.
I don't know,but think that it killed of the good bugs too so once the systemic did it's job the plants still had to deal with the crap they got from leaf miners,aphids etc.

Also,systemics are bad news in general.
One I used one year for mites was banned for food crops the next year.

I think it stays in the soil a lot longer than they say it does.
I think the safe time they state on the labels between application and harvest are in lab tests.
It's how long the treatment took to leave only the plant after application and didn't include the time it was still getting it from the soil.
To me,it killed bugs a long time after it was supposed to not be effective any more.
I think that is why most systemics are only supposed to be used 2X a year MAX.

All my plants are in pots,so I'd think that the systemics would have washed out fast.
I don't think they did though.
I tried a ton of systemics on my plants at one time for various bad guys.
I never eat the pods from those plants.I saved seeds.

Though,as I get older,I might try eating a few of the pods I saved for seeds from systemic treated plants.
My eyes are getting bad,a 3rd or 4rth eye might come in handy. :)
 
Anyone have any insights on how to cut them down, and regrow them out ? How much green do I need to leave so they won't die ? This stinks as I have flowers everywhere and tons of baby pods... But I hate that the sight of aphids and they are just getting worse.

- Mega

Thanks again for the advice Jedi; always appreciated.
 
MegaSpokaneMan said:
Anyone have any insights on how to cut them down, and regrow them out ? How much green do I need to leave so they won't die ? This stinks as I have flowers everywhere and tons of baby pods... But I hate that the sight of aphids and they are just getting worse.

- Mega

Thanks again for the advice Jedi; always appreciated.
Click to expand...
i cut mine down to the big nodes. I don't leave any leaves on and they have grown back with extreme force! I will post some pics tomorrow for you mega. i just cut mine down because of aphids last night. I need to charge my camera.
 
Here's a link to a post I recently made for someone else - it shows just how severely you can cut back and still have the plant survive. I don't cut back nearly that far any more, but do make sure to remove all the leaves and small branches.

Basically, I recommend if you're going to do THAT severe of a pruning that you ensure you keep a minimum of 4-5 nodes. The more nodes, the better. BUT (aren't there always caveats???), note that even removing all the leaves and cutting back significantly won't necessarily eliminate your aphid problem. Once the leaves start coming back in, the aphids will return. So here are a few thoughts:

- http://www.buglogica...arden-ladybugs/ <<< this place was a recommended ladybug source, which is likely still your best bet. Did you use ANYTHING on the plants before releasing the ladybugs? If so, that may have killed them.

- My next preferred (but a PITA) approach is to spray them EVERY DAY with insecticidal soap until the aphids are gone, and then keep spraying every day for at least a week after that. The rate of reproduction on aphids is so high, you have to spray like mad for a few weeks to get every one of them in the various life cycles. Part of why it is a PITA is because it's not easy to really soak every part of the plant, which should be your goal every time.

- Least preferred, but effective: Bayer makes a water-in insecticide. I wouldn't use it until after you pull all the pods and are ready for the plants not to produce for a while (perfect timing as we head into winter.) The plants uptake it through the roots (this isn't sprayed on at all), and systemically kills the aphids where they start. You only use it once a year, and it takes a while to see the results, as the plant needs to uptake it all the way to it's outer leaves, but it does work. If you go this route, be SURE to get the fruit and veggie variety.
 
smokemaster said:
Aphid wasps were the best for only aphids
Click to expand...

+1

Parasitic wasps just destroy the aphids here. :D

smokemaster said:
Don't use a systemic.
I found the ones I tried years ago reduced production.
I don't know,but think that it killed of the good bugs too so once the systemic did it's job the plants still had to deal with the crap they got from leaf miners,aphids etc.

Also,systemics are bad news in general.
One I used one year for mites was banned for food crops the next year.
Click to expand...

+1

Exactly the same thing happened to me. I used one that ended up banned for food crops not long after. :scared:

I also suspect that bugs grow resistance to systemics quicker. As the poison is clearing out of the plant, I assume bugs would be getting a lower dose... perhaps one low enough that if it doesn't kill 'em, it could only make 'em stronger, right? I dunno... just a theory.
 
Aphids are horrible. In a part of my garden I'm going to put chilli pots in when they get big enough there are 5 or 6 rose bushes that right now are covered in aphids. I mean really COVERED.

I was going to use a pesticide because I'm not eating them but it will also kill off all the good bugs that are attracted to the aphids as food. The roses were here when I moved in and I don't really care for them one way or the other so I might rip them out completely. Hopefully any aphid killers that have moved in will then explore my chilli plants for aphids.

I wish I had some good advice for dealing with them but they haven't been a problem for me before now. The best solution sounds like cutting them back as much as possible and then using the soap spray everyday. Depends on how many plants you have.
 
megamoo said:
Aphids are horrible. In a part of my garden I'm going to put chilli pots in when they get big enough there are 5 or 6 rose bushes that right now are covered in aphids. I mean really COVERED.

I was going to use a pesticide because I'm not eating them but it will also kill off all the good bugs that are attracted to the aphids as food. The roses were here when I moved in and I don't really care for them one way or the other so I might rip them out completely. Hopefully any aphid killers that have moved in will then explore my chilli plants for aphids.

I wish I had some good advice for dealing with them but they haven't been a problem for me before now. The best solution sounds like cutting them back as much as possible and then using the soap spray everyday. Depends on how many plants you have.
Click to expand...

>.<

http://www.goodbugs.org.au/Good%20bugs%20available/aphidius.html
 
I hear ya mega. Put aerogarden graduates outside to harden. Back inside and not realized they had aphids. Now my aero is Still suffering. I chopped off all the leaves as
Washing them off didn't work. It actually doubled for me when I tried rinsing. I'm seeing new growth for most. But i have a couple not doing anything. As mega said. Chop them
Off. Only problem is. They'll drop into your soil and multiple some more

So you'll have to figure that out. Since mine were in aero I chopped and rinsed out everything. Wish u luck
 
MegaSpokaneMan said:
I'd hate to use a systemic insecticde as I eat these things...
Click to expand...

fwiw... as far as scary evil corporation chemicals go, imidicloprid is fairly innocuous... its not listed as a carcinogen in any of the big world cancer agencies. the EPA lists it as classification E which apparently means its unlikely to be carcinogenic.
imidicloprid treated vegetable crops are apparently safe to eat after 3 weeks according to the label on my bottle of bayer. i treat my plants in like march before they are podding up anyway.

if systemics are out you may want to look at the so called trans laminar or local systemic pesticides. these are sprayed on products that basically soak into the chlorophyll and vascular tissue of the leaves all the way to the underside of the leaves. this will kill your aphids as well as any insects that suck on the plant sap, AND insects that suck on the chlorophyll like mites. mites are pretty much immune to imidicloprid because systemics typically only move throughout the plants "sap" in the pholym...xylem or what ever.

abamectin is one such product... i use abamectin to kill mites very very successfully. the product is far harder to prepare however when compared to others, you really need to use a non ionic surfactant to get the product to stick to the leaves and coat them completely. without a surfactant the stuff balls up on the leaves and will drip off far easier.

i use abamectin at 2ml per gallon with i think 4ml of drexxel surfact 820. works amazingly well.

a translaminar is highly preferable to a generic contact pesticide like malathion or cyflurin or many of the organic products.
i dont care what anyone says, its literally impossible to spray the underside of every single leaf to kill all the aphids. in the process your spray freaking gallons of shitty chemicals all over your container soil...alot of which flows into storm sewers and drainage swales.... and of coarse you have to do this weekly/bi weekly to keep the populations down because... inevitably all you are doing is culling their population.
on and when it rains? yea spray some more.

lady bugs are nice and everything... but they are not for everyone.

anyway just providing a non organic voice here...
 
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