Ladybug Mercenaries Indoors

Yeah the soda pop and water mix sprayed on the LB's will help keep them in the garden a little longer, but do yourself a favor and grab a bottle of Azatrol. I unleashed 3 packs of LBs (3500) in a 10x10 room and they could not control SM. One SM female lays 100- 200 eggs and they start hatching in 3 days with more than 80% being female. If you don't have SM then LB's are a great precaution but then you have to buy LB food and keep them just fed enough so if a SM comes around they will find it and kill it before it lays 100-200 eggs and starts a epidemic.

GoldenGanja13 said:

Yeah the soda pop and water mix sprayed on the LB's will help keep them in the garden a little longer, but do yourself a favor and grab a bottle of Azatrol. I unleashed 3 packs of LBs (3500) in a 10x10 room and they could not control SM. One SM female lays 100- 200 eggs and they start hatching in 3 days with more than 80% being female. If you don't have SM then LB's are a great precaution but then you have to buy LB food and keep them just fed enough so if a SM comes around they will find it and kill it before it lays 100-200 eggs and starts a epidemic.

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Thanks a lot Golden, this really good info. I looked up Azatrol and couldn't find the cheap bottle (4-8oz or so). Azamax has a 4oz that I can afford, but I can't spend too much money anymore. For now I'm going to have to make due with LBs and neem. You're actually worrying me about this now, lol, those are some serious stats.

Brick Top said:

Really? I guess no on told that to the praying mantis in this video because it sure ate one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfKeR6lciD0

A praying mantis is like a great white shark of insects.

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I hope he was eating that Lady Bug that DIDN'T bite me! LOL, that bitch was red, not brown.

Wet

Wetdog said:

I hope he was eating that Lady Bug that DIDN'T bite me! LOL, that bitch was red, not brown.

Wet

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You might have gotten bitten by a multicolored Asian LB

http://www.helium.com/items/711348-how-true-is-it-that-ladybugs-bite

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonia_axyridis

(couldn't find a very reliable source, but this info about the Asian LBs seems consistent)

Holy shit I feel stupid, I have organicide in my garage.... totally forgot about it! I had them about a month ago and a few applications of neem had me thinking they were gone because for weeks I hadn't seen them, then I got a job and got really busy... I noticed them maybe 10 days ago, and I've been neeming everyday, sometimes twice a day. I guess I will have neem, organicide, and the LBs at my disposal. Do you think this is enough?

I can't believe I forgot I had that stuff........

Edit: I remember that organicide stuff being really nasty stinky, how do you apply it? Freely, or are you really careful not get any on the buds, I'd hate to taste the stuff later on.
and from I read neem breaks down under the light?

Wetdog said:

Got a bit more info on this? Sounds good to me.

Wet

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Yeah Wet, this is what I use http://www.planetnatural.com/site/ladybug-lures.html. Sory that link did not post last night.
I've got it hanging in my peas (which look dam nice by the way). I bought I half cup of ladybugs about 3 weeks ago. It was really dense for about 3 days just masses of lady bugs hanging on plants. I spread a lot in trees, etc. Bot of course the decimated what ever was in my plants and most moved along as expected. However, I have seen a dramatic increase in ladybugs though out my yard, in the garden the trees, I've even seen them in the crawling in the grass. I'm sure its a combination of both. I hope that this early attack on the pests in my garden will have an on going effect on the population thought the summer.

Fantastic thread, been chuckling my way through it, especially the video of mantis raping and devouring the ladybug.

Not that you would ever desire parasites on your crop, but I'm itching to bust out the apex predators if they do appear.

Rawrrrrrrr

Brick Top said:

Really? I guess no on told that to the praying mantis in this video because it sure ate one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfKeR6lciD0

A praying mantis is like a great white shark of insects.

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lol that lady bug got owned reminds my of my PM but mine was Tani sh Brownish. Ether way bug on bug warfare sounds way better to me then using insecticide but this Organicide and Azatrol sounds like a good combo

Some plants that attract ladybugs to your outdoor garden are fennel and dill. I found this info in a Farmers almanac for this year. Will let you know at the end of the season I have both growing in my outdoor garden now. Dirrtyd

dirrtyd said:

Some plants that attract ladybugs to your outdoor garden are fennel and dill. I found this info in a Farmers almanac for this year. Will let you know at the end of the season I have both growing in my outdoor garden now. Dirrtyd

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Ditto

But mine are just cracking the surface right now.

Wet

I have found out that strawberry plants will attracted SM like cockroaches to a taco bell.

Well I'll tell you, going on 40 years of growing 'stuff' (I started with ferns and orchids), even though I do organic amendments, if SM show up on my girls, I reach for the FORBID.

I usually go as light as I can and Safers usually does the trick. Just not enough gun for SM though and that's the voice of experience talking. Neither is Neem, plus it taste like shit if applied too late in flower.

Wet

It seems like any good miticide is fuckin pricey. Either way, I think I'll bomb the area once these plants are done.

On another note: Ladybugs have been shipped (yesterday, a few hours after ordering, good service so far).

Have you checked with your local Nursery (garden) for Lady Bugs, Nematodes, Praying Mantis, etc.

upthearsenal said:

It seems like any good miticide is fuckin pricey. Either way, I think I'll bomb the area once these plants are done.

On another note: Ladybugs have been shipped (yesterday, a few hours after ordering, good service so far).

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Yeah, I had called a couple stores here when I first thought of the idea, even before this thread. They were like "HUH? Ladybugs.... no, sorry." And I doubt they would have any other beneficial insects...

I typically have to order stuff, I live in an area where there is NO good garden stores, and no hydro shops at all. I tend to go to homedepot for any garden needs, you can order LBs from HD but I think the amazon deal was better.

Wow that bites. But at least you have a Home Depot.

Praying Mantis is like Special Forces...i gota get me one this year

this is one i caught a few years ago...it had that "ohoh im fucked look" kewl thing was right next to it about 3 ft away was a cicada bug....was a weird night lol





word of cautoin tho ....my buddies son caught a mantis and took it home...but it hatched a kazzilion eggs..so there was lil green mantis babys all over the place LOL was funny till his wife got home...then it was a sport ! lmao dont bring a pregnant mantis home

GoldenGanja13 said:

Wow that bites. But at least you have a Home Depot.

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yep, not many resources. I got a question you could possibly help me with: what measures should I take on a plant I want to place in the flowering room? Would drenching with neem be enough to keep them off for a while, at least until I unleash my arsenal on them? I figured I could drench before inducing 12/12, then just spray daily as a deterrent?