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Tropical Fruits

Ladybugs

17 years ago

Having a greenhouse, I've come to the foregone conclusion that I'm going to be dealing with pests. I didn't think I would have to deal with stupid pest predators! I've recently turned loose a bunch of ladybugs into the greenhouse. Kind of intertaining...for about 2 minutes. I've watched them walk over & around aphids. I would think being kept dormant for so long, they would be quite hungry when released. I mean...look at bears. Who here would like to come across a bear after he/she just came out of hibernation? What's worse than the bear scenario? My wife asking me everyday what the ladybugs are doing and then ending with a little giggle. Stupid ladybugs.

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Comments (5)

red_sea_me
17 years ago
maybe they just need some coffee, I know after hibernation, I'm a bit of a bear before my coffee. Give them time Jay, once they figure out how lucky they are to be indoors in Ohio, they'll get to work. Perhaps you should remind your wife how hard you are working to provide her with the freshest fruit possible from her childhood. It's all for her benefit right? As far as hungry bears, I ran across a "teenage" bear on a trail, soon as he saw us, he stood up and started drooling! With the confidence of knowing I could outrun my friend if needed (dont have to outrun the bear)we tried to scare it off. It wasn't 'til I started singing (bad and loud) that it decided to leave.
Eggo
17 years ago
I wouldnt worry too much about them doing their job. Two years ago I released some ladybugs in the greenhouse, they didnt do much to the aphids and most seem to end up dying out. But the larvae that came afterwards were ravenous, eventually even eating each other when the aphid population were extremely low. It was kind of an unpleasant cannibalistic sight to see.
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I ordered some from Gardens Alive for $13.95. They arrived alive and ready to go after aphids. I can't say that they did a lot of good, or stuck around in my year, but I still find way more ladybugs in my yard a couple years later than I used to. I know everyone says using them outdoors doesn't do much good because they generally take off. And I don't use pesticides, so my beneficials may just be benefiting from that. Either way, it was a fun experiment. (and I don't work for them either) Here is a link that might be useful: ladybugs
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I saw your post earlier and did a quick google search on "black ladybugs". I hope someone with much more experience will respond. But just from my search, black ladybugs are similar to what is familiar to us as ladybugs. They prey on other "pests", so are beneficial. There are black lady bugs and the familiar red/orange ones, and there are grey ones too from what I found. So don't act yet until you hear from the more experienced people. You may want to keep these "guests" around. Jennie Jennie
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It is a great ladybug year. I've probably had this many in some previous years, but not often. I suspect that more of them than usual survived overwintering in various places across the state because the winter was so mild, and also that the early heat in January and February (and the early blooming of the fruit trees) may have encouraged them to start breeding earlier than usual. It is a good thing to have lady bugs always, always,always..... except for this: when you have a lot of lady bugs, there's got to be something in your garden that they are eating. So, while it is great to have them, you might want to ask yourself what you have in such abundance that they are eating so well. (If they aren't finding something good to eat, they move on elsewhere.) Normally at this time of the year they are feasting on aphids and on the early spider mites. If you notice that you have ladybugs but then that they seem to be disappearing, that also is a good and bad thing: it is good you had them, but can be bad if they finish up with whatever the current pest happens to be and then move on. You don't want them to move on because then you won't have them when you need them for the next round of pests....like the milkweed aphids that Lisa mentioned. You can encourage the ladybugs to stay around by planting lots of flowers they like and/or by spraying wheast around the garden as an alternate food source. You can buy wheast (essentially a whey and yeast mixture) or can Google and find recipes for making your own. Here's an example of commercially-available wheast: Wheast @ Planet Natural
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Cowpeas & yardlong beans are good crops for attracting & keeping ladybugs. When the flowers appear, ladybugs will feed on nectar given off by the bumps on the stem below the flowers (extra-floral nectaries). I grow at least one cowpea in each garden, and the ladybug population remains high from mid-summer until frost. I may have to put up with the aphids until then, though. I'm fortunate to have lacewings & syrphid flies too, which are also aphid predators... but in much smaller numbers than the ladybugs. Cowpeas attract wasps too, which also feed on the extra-floral nectaries - sometimes in large numbers. They prey heavily on caterpillars, and can at times be the top predator of aphids, so I welcome their presence. I often get aphids in my covered peppers, and once the tent is opened, wasps will wipe out the aphids in a week or so. The nectar seems to make wasps docile - even yellow jackets! - and as long as I move slowly, they will not sting. The only time I've been stung in 15 years was when I accidentally grabbed a wasp that was on a yardlong bean I was picking. If someone is allergic to bee stings though, they might want to avoid growing cowpeas or yardlong beans. Before spraying anything for aphids, I would suggest that gardeners familiarize themselves with the larval forms of the predators mentioned in the first paragraph of this post, and examine the plants carefully for their presence. If found, they should control the aphids with no action required from the gardener other than patience.
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ohiojay
Original Author
17 years ago
I'd be happy to see them eat anything right now. If they won't do their job...maybe my frog will!!! So they better be on their toes.
Eggo
17 years ago
Jay, is this what you want to see?! arghhh the gore!

Its a graveyard!!! Their like walking tanks with blood sucking jaws. I had huge aphid infestation at one point. But pretty much no aphids left at this stage. Then they started eating each other. The black specks use to be aphids.
If you notice the round empty brown shells were also aphids once. Those guys were done in by some sort of parasitic wasp that found its way into the greenhouse. I have to admit I think they did not only a much better job but quicker too. Don't know where you could get them from. I read they eat the aphid from inside and burst out when their mature, not a pleasant way to go.
ohiojay
Original Author
17 years ago
Even though I'm keeping the greenhouse at 65, I think it may still be too cool for them. Most have disappeared down into the gravel. So I'm back to spraying for the aphids. Don't know where they came from but they sure do pop up here and there. My Thai chili plant was absolutely covered...every part of it! I fixed their butts good last night. If I would have had another plant, I would have set that one out in our 18 degree temps and let them freeze! Man is it cold!

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