Lady bugs?

[ALToronto]

Is anyone using them for pest control? Are they effective?

I picked up about a dozen asian lady bugs (orange, not red) from a friend who has quite a few in his home. He grows some plants, but nothing like my house. His lady bugs were not brought in deliberately. I'm fighting aphids and mealies, and I don't like using anything stronger than SucraShield in my house.

So are these ladies going to help, or did I just invite an infestation?

 

[dbarron]

Well, I doubt they'll reproduce into an infestation (could be wrong?), but I do know that down here farther south, they invade houses, bite, die, etc in fall/winter. I can say from personal experience that my house being chosen (somehow) as a ladybug motel was not pleasant.
Oh, the dead bugs to be swept up...oh the live ones crawling everywhere (shudder). It only happened one year out of the twelve I lived in that house.
I couldn't tell you if they kept my houseplants clean that year or not (lol).

 

[NYEric]

I would use them.

 

[karategirl73]

I've only used them in my garden but they were extremely effective


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[cnycharles]

Don't know, but if you got the larva from a bug seller they eat far more than the adults and last longer

Don't know if any ladybug eats a mealybug? If so, great!

 

[paphioland]

Don't know, but if you got the larva from a bug seller they eat far more than the adults and last longer

Don't know if any ladybug eats a mealybug? If so, great!

They do and if they get hungry enough they will eat mites. They will even eat each other. They will not cure a mite problem just keep it in check.

 

[daniella3d]

Problem with any predator is that there will always be preys as they will not eat everything nor catch everything. There is no way to completely eliminate an infestation that way, just to control it. As the ladybugs are gone, the mealy bugs will be back with a vengeance..

 

[NYEric]

Use alcohol and Neem.

 

[ALToronto]

Yes, the predator/prey problem! I remember doing that in Differential Equations too many years ago. But in a practical environment, I would be sufficiently happy if they keep the aphids and mealies under control and allow only a few of them to reach maturity.

Once we start opening windows, the whole setup will change anyway.

 

[daniella3d]

I used imidaclophrid. Bugs are gone for good, plants are thriving, and flowers last for months instead of days.

 

[bullsie]

I used imidaclophrid. Bugs are gone for good, plants are thriving, and flowers last for months instead of days.

I use mine as a drench as I too grow my orchids in my home. Works wonderfully on mealies and scale - apply a little longer for mealies. No good for thrips or mites. Matter of fact, be prepared for a thrip/mite explosion once the mealies and scale are gone.

 

[Justin]

I use mine as a drench as I too grow my orchids in my home. Works wonderfully on mealies and scale - apply a little longer for mealies. No good for thrips or mites. Matter of fact, be prepared for a thrip/mite explosion once the mealies and scale are gone.

that sounds awful. i had lousy results with it. that and the link to bee collapse made me look elsewhere. Pyrethrins are where it's at. Decathlon and Enstar II are all you need! I grow indoors too so just take the plants outside for a quick spray.

 

[cnycharles]

If you grow indoors then there is no reason to not use imidacloprid (unless it doesn't work for you)

 

[daniella3d]

I combine it with floramite. But I never had mites, only mealy bugs. It's the only way to go and the bees are not inside my house.

I use mine as a drench as I too grow my orchids in my home. Works wonderfully on mealies and scale - apply a little longer for mealies. No good for thrips or mites. Matter of fact, be prepared for a thrip/mite explosion once the mealies and scale are gone.

 

[ALToronto]

I combine it with floramite. But I never had mites, only mealy bugs. It's the only way to go and the bees are not inside my house.

Daniella, what are the trade names of these products in Canada? And where can I buy them?