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Vegetable Gardening

releasing beneficial insects under floating row cover

marketgardenernorthernca

8 years ago

Hey all,

Wondering if anyone has ever tried to release beneficials under floating row cover? I have a bed of kale that's been hit moderately bad (not terrible) by aphids and I'm thinking of covering it with floating row cover and releasing ladybugs or some other aphid-eating bug into that controlled environment. My idea being they won't fly away and hopefully they'll just feast their brains out. Is that common practice? Is it a hairbrained idea?

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Comments (5)

jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
8 years ago
It should work until they eat all the aphid and then they will fly away looking for food. We release ladybugs 3 or 4 times in the fall in our winter high tunnels to keep a good population of ladybugs in there. Despite what people say, they are busy eating all winter and come spring they will lay eggs and we have a healthy population in the area all spring.

I have ladybugs coming by mail on Friday or Saturday.
laceyvail 6A, WV
8 years ago
I have grown kale for years and years under row covers directly on the plants. The only time I have problems with aphids on the kale is after frost when the ladybugs are gone. In dry years, they can really be bad.
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Well, I'm trying one for the first time. Put out my broccoli transplants yesterday, since I've run out of room inside. At first I was worried that they were going to be beat to death by the wind rippling the fabric, and was starting to regret putting it over them. But today it is relatively still and the plants are fine... and I saw the first cabbage moth of the season and thought "HA! You're not going to lay your eggs on MY broccoli!!!" I'm hoping the minor bit of frost protection the RCs provide will get them through any borderline cold nights we may have from now on...
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michele, just as a footnote, I keep all my winter crops (greens, roots, etc.) under floating row covers all winter long. I have never lost a single crop to cold in three years. Last winter, our lowest temperature was eleven degrees (just one night). But our typical night lows stay in the twenties consistently with regular visits into the teens. I mulch the beds well and use a medium weight row cover. (Johnnys Select Seeds sell them in very handy wide widths). I would think your lightweight barrier will protect well from frost in a double thickness, but if possible, replace it with heavier weight long term, just so your crops will get more sunlight.
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Sem16, if you see only holes on your broccolies in day time, possible you have slugs. Row covers will not help if you have slugs in your beds. Try to check your plants in evening using flashlights or place beer in tuna cans for night to catch slugs if they are there. You can spray plants with diatomaceous earth or surround with crushed egg shells. I have used old shears that i found in salvation army store to cover beets and cabbages against flying insects, but at first i had to fight slugs. This winter i put a lot of used coffee grounds on veggie beds and think that they killed slugs.
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Comments (6)
Of all the crops I've used row cover on I would use some support over tomato plants. Wire hoops can work or even tomato cages although you may rip the fabric if you aren't careful. You can definately gain some advantage using the cover under another cover such as within a greenhouse.This pic is of 2 covers over rows of tomatoes within a greenhouse, inner is Agribon 30(close relative of Reemay & moderate weight), outer is Typar(very heavyweight). When nightime temperatures hang below 30F for most of the night you will often still need supplemental heat. Plus you need to remove a heavier fabric during days to allow light for your plants.
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slimiest_okra
8 years ago
I've done it. The main thing to figure out is whether the cost of the ladybugs + shipping is worth it, from a market gardening perspective. If it's a very small bed of kale, it may not be worth it.
marketgardenernorthernca
Original Author
8 years ago
Jrslick, where do you buy your ladybugs from? Have you had decent success with them?
jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
8 years ago
High Sierra ladybugs, http://www.highsierraladybugs.com, I have an order coming tomorrow. Not a minute too soon. I started harvesting kale today and found I have more aphids than I thought. I hope the bugs can wage an aphid genocide! I have always released 5,000-10,000 ladybugs every winter growing season, even if I can't find aphids. It is the cheapest and most effective aphid control I know of. There are other bugs you can release too, but I stick with ladybugs.

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