Hey guys workin on my first outdoor grow ive been doing the indoor thing for aboht three yrs now just wanted something new.. I pretty much have everyyhin in line for my grow just crossing my I's an dotting my T's, gonna be using ladybugs for pests and i been hearing that ladybugs wont stick around for too long, so my idea is to just take a bag or two out to my site and open it and leave it without dumping them and just let them leave the bag as they plz.. Or should i apply them directly to the plant weekly just a few at a time or whats some tips or ideas you guys have for ladybugs thx fellow blades.
I spray them them with soda water. It makes there wings sticky do they can't fly. I read that on here it works pretty well
I used a mixture of cola and water, also if you can find mosquito netting and cover the plant trapping the bugs in but allowing the light and air to enter.
not a good idea to use lady bugs indoors. when they escape, and they will, you'll be picking them out of everyting! run your grow like a clean-room break it down and sanitize. it'llwork better'n bugs.
[quote name='"northlat"']not a good idea to use lady bugs indoors. when they escape, and they will, you'll be picking them out of everyting! run your grow like a clean-room break it down and sanitize. it'llwork better'n bugs.[/quote] Did u not read the post he is talking outdoor jackass
[quote name='"northlat"']sorry , i misread the lead in dick smoker[/quote] Outdoor indoor. Hooked on phonics worked for him not.
[quote name='"northlat"']damn monkey, kept playingwith himself, lousy monkey phonics, hey lighten up young fella[/quote] Me to packing fat.
back to the question at hand. lady bugs , i release half million every year, eat mostly aphids. lace wing, can be released as eggs on cards, which hatch and time release larvae stage lacewing which are predatory, then eventually adults who fly aroundand make more. predatory wasps can be lured by certain flowering weeds.
[quote name='"northlat"']back to the question at hand. lady bugs , i release half million every year, eat mostly aphids. lace wing, can be released as eggs on cards, which hatch and time release larvae stage lacewing which are predatory, then eventually adults who fly aroundand make more. predatory wasps can be lured by certain flowering weeds.[/quote] Nice answer, ladybugs are a great solution for mite when you are in late flowering regardless of outdoor or indoor.
yeah the larvae are predatory but I dont think adults are. I've got some Praying mantis egg cases, if your intrested PM me.
adult lacewing seem to have a taste for humans sometimes. bite pretty hard. i have quail that roost nearby my plot . they keep bug activity almost zero. did loose half my plot last year to them. had to add wire. also have plenty of mantis in the area. general organic practices keep most things in balance have a few nibbles here and there but nothing really noticable. i use safe soap early, but by flowering it's too hot out for many bugs.
thx for all the replies guys that skeeter netting doesnt sound like a half bad idea but might block a little light idk.. think ill try the soda water idea lady bugs are cheap and i feel like im doing a favor to release them so to speak lol mayb i can find a mantis or two around the wild and take em to my plants seeing as to how there not cheap im allergic to wasps and bees so thats not an option lol... also would rather not have any spiders i walked into a nest of baby black widows when i was a kid and havent been right since lol... anyway to keep spiders at bay? i would quite honestly lose a crop to mites then deal with a single spider i know its gonna happen ill just take them and walk em away from the site...
My nephew also has a fear of spiders, thats why he wont hold my pet Rose Hair tarantula. My brother doesnt like any kind of bee, wasp, hornet etc... He`s like a magnet for them. As for lady bugs alot of people say they work for mites but they didnt for me on an indoor grow. Last year we had worm problems bad, it even attracted some yellow jacket, hornets or whatever they were looking for worm food. I would be out there pulling worms off of the plants with them buzzing around, never got stung or bit by one, never had a fear of them. The cool thing was that when I would find a worm I would either sit in the cinder block retaining wall and they would fly over and grab it even had them take them out of my hand. They were more interested in the worm food then me. As for our spider mite problem we used Ed Rosenthal`s Zero Tolerance, works really good, not cheap and kinda stinks.
Sweet man thx forth info i hope i dont have to deal with worms lol thats just nasty haha but ya i dont fear em so much but i am allergic to them so i dont wanna get stung and swell up like a wet hot dog bun lol