They are available in larger nurseries and are sold in containers or netting. If you are not using them right away they can be refrigerated (the bugs go into a hibernation due to the cold) but NOT FROZEN. Next, take them out of the fridge and keep them in a cool spot in your yard-- a covered patio, below a tree. Generally you can put them out and sprinkle them under the base of the roses in the evening when the sun is not so intense. More experienced people can open the container and with a small stick-- allow the ladybug to climb onto the stick and then transfer the insect to the food source directly. Yes, some will walk the opposite direction of the food but at least they will be on the plant. You can also release them on an overcast day too at the base of the plant that has the aphids.. Now one important thing-- there is a food source (some sort of cotton with some food they eat inside the container and the wood shavings) Its important to spritz the container or the netting with cool water every so many days-- even if they are in the fridge too. Do not soak them just a spritz of water -- they need the water also to survive. If they do fly away, it just means they are searching for a food source-- they like aphids, but they can fly elsewhere (like the aphids do too). I find usually the aphids are greenish on the roses but they can come in other colors too-- black or brown colors (sort of blending in with whatever plant they are on.) My Dad has a mock orange that gets covered on the stems with the black variety. Ladybugs to the rescue on that plant too.

You are right Jane, there 'should' be a balance. Unfortunately, the South has long been plagued with Fire Ants which are not native to this country (something I learned to enjoy about my short time in northern Michigan was the complete lack of Fire Ants). As such, they create a massive imbalance on their own and they're next to impossible to get rid of completely, we can merely control them. They've been trying everything they can think of to eradicate them, but nothing really works for very long. Fire Ants can actually learn to avoid certain baits, so what might work one summer might not work the next and you have to find a new bait to get them. Lately, thanks to Monsanto and GMO supporters, everyone is looking for 'organic' solutions for everything, including ant problems, but from what I've read, researchers are finding that 'organic' solutions for ant control are 1) quite ineffective and 2) can actually be worse for your yard/soil/plants than the chemical baits. While I'm no expert, far from it, I think that as long as the bait and the ant mounds are outside the drip-line of the citrus trees, things should be fairly safe. There is a biological answer to fire ants, but scientists and biologists are having a hard time to get things figured out how to make it work in the US. There is a parasitic fly, Phoridae, in South America that is the Fire Ant's natural predator in that region and a group of them can quickly decimate ant hills. Last I had read, they had tried using the flies in Texas, but the flies, used to the tropical humid climate of their home, quickly died in Texas's dry heat. But the scientists found that all the fire ant mounds up against the test house, where humidity was a little higher, and been thoroughly neutralized. It seems to me that Florida's high humidity would be prime for testing the flies on our ants, but I haven't read of any such tests in Florida as of yet. Not that I've been looking either. Edit: And the really frustrating part... even if you manage to put a huge dent in the fire ant population in your yard, even if you manage to almost completely remove them, if all your neighbors around you, even the ones across the street, don't do the same, it is only matter of time, a short amount of time, before they come back. This post was edited by Leekle2ManE on Mon, Aug 19, 13 at 16:34

SS32 was here for his mothers wedding. We had the opportunity to spend a little more time with him as after the wedding he had the rest of the weekend. So Gson was also here FR through Mon per usual, and we all went to breakfast Sat was fine & pleasant. After breakfast SS26 and 29 decided they wanted to go hunting, SS32 doesn't hunt so decided to come shopping with DH and I. So while in the car SS32 gave us a completely different story on the dog issue. He told us that his mother loved the dog but that SS29 was not giving her money to pay for dogs vetting and food costs and that she had asked him to come over one afternoon on his weekend off and bath the dog, help her with some vaccuming and give her money for dog food. He told us SS29 got angry came over threw $60 bucks on the table and said "Im taking my dog." and left. That's not what we were told. We were told that DH's ex was having a fit about all the dog hair and cussing SS29 out and calling him everything in the book. Now I thought it awful at the time but SS32's story makes a lot more sense to me. Dog has been here a few weeks now, not bathed once, he pays no attention to her and does not even remember to feed her most of the time. I feel bad because she has no quality of life here because we can't let her roam freely as she is food agressive and can't be trusted not to bite. Neither SS26 or 29 will respect the keeping her seperate from my little daschaund in particular as they do not like him or my cats and they let her out around them all the time. SS32 also asked us what SS29 was doing with all his money, why hadn't he moved out etc. DH just defends him. SS32 said "I didn't have crap the first 5 yr.s I was out on my own it took me this long to get stable and be able to buy a house, I didn't have any toys or new car etc". DH just defends them, says "well they want to enjoy, they work hard" an so on. I did tell SS32 about the missed car payments when he asked me during a moment alone about SS29's spending issues. He told me in confidence he was so glad he didn't cosign for his brother as this would have ruined his chances for a mortgage on his new home. I said "You bet you boots!" He was upset said he felt obligated to kick his younger brothers ass. I told him to just concentrate on his own life, it wasn't his problem and he shouldn't have to deal with it. As it was really between DH & SS29. So the next day SS26 decided to go hunting for pheasant, he came back later in the day with a plastic bag with dead birds in it. OK, DH and I are sitting on the couch together watching TV and I asked what it was he said "a pheasant" I said "OK, well you cannot clean & dress it in the kitchen you need to defeather & gut it out in the garage as I'm allergic to feathers. I have LOTS of allergies and food allergies which kids are well aware of. I had already agreed to cook said pheasant for SS when he asked me if I would the day before. SS26 got really loud and says "Jesus Christ is there ANYTHING you aren't allergic too!?!" Very nasty & loud. DH sat there, let him talk to me like that and said nothing. I looked at DH and said " You know I feel so unwelcome in my own home." DH said "Oh, stop it." It is obviously fine with him that I get disrespected and treated like s$%t by them. Things then went from bad to worse. SS29 came home and went to bed about 7pm leaving Gson running around the house, throwing balls, jumping on top of the dogs, squeezing them around the necks, grabbing the cat, runningfrom across room and jumping onto the couch. It was ridiculous. I got so tired of saying "stop it" or "don't do that!" or trying to get him to color or play with something quiet so I could watch my show on the big tv. I asked Gson "Where is your dad?" he says "sleeping." I said "Go wake him up and tell him to take care of you." DH still sitting there, thinking this is cute while I am getting pissed & irritated as I have been waiting all week to watch these two shows. Gson comes back and says "Daddy has to sleep because his back hurts." Again, DH just ignores this. So halfway throug the second show I got up and went in the other room. This is what SS29 does when Gson is here, just leaves him in the living room and then goes to sleep. So, anyway a commercial comes on for a riverboat cruise and DH comments that it looks fun. I said "Yes it does and you've been saying that for 5 yr.s and we've never gone." So last night he sent me a link to the cruise reservations online and asked me what night would be good for me. I told him Fri and he said hewould take care of everything. Maybe he is ready to throw me overboard HaHa.. It is a very nice gesture and I'm sure we will have fun. But in the mean time my livng situaton has become intolerable. Seriously. The S kids are being extremely rude to me especially whe DH isn't around, then they step it up. It is almost as bad as that first two years of marriage. SS26 is mean to my little dog, if he runs up to him excited he says "Get the F away from me!", just nasty all the time. If I had the money today I would walk right now. I am so done living like this, done, done, done. I love my DH but a romantic evening is not going to make it all better. I know he is trying to do something romantic possibly as a belated anniversary thing, but it will not change my plans. Nothing short of him telling them to get the hell out of this house yesterday, and stopping the financial drain and making a committed effort to putting me first would change my mind and I do not see that happening. I cannot tell you all how unpleasant this has become on a daily basis. I HATE to come home, everyday. They want me gone & so do I. Wonder if they even get we have the same goal, for me to be out of here. I HATE living like this. DH will not address any of these situations. I think the SS's feel threatened that their living arrangements are in jeapardy, though truly they ae not. They can all live together happily ever after as far as I'm concerned, just wish I could afford a temp place to stay til I start assignment. Ok, guess you get another cookie, maybe two if you made it through all this. I'm a little frustrated and fearful for my pets, can you tell? ~Cat

OMG too funny - I totally bet it sold too...because heck there are people in the world for some strange reason would buy it. hehehe