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Natural ladybug control?

By adamg on Sun, 07/15/2012 - 12:57pm

Steve asks:

Anyone know a garden center near Dorchester that sells ladybugs insect control? Want to try natural b4 resorting to chems.

Neighborhoods: 
Dorchester
Topics: 
Home 'n' hearth


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Comments

By adamg on Sun, 07/15/2012 - 1:02pm.

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By Coleoptera on Sun, 07/15/2012 - 1:39pm.

My experience with ladybugs for aphid control (which I assume is the problem) has been underwhelming. If you have enough aphids to keep released store-bought ladybugs busy enough to hang around then you'd already have naturally occuring ones anyway (and it's the grub-like ladybug larvae that do most of the aphid-eating, not the familiar and conspicuous adults), or other of the naturally occuring aphid eaters like lacewings.

A spray bottle of soapy water is cheaper and more effective against aphids than ladybugs (or pesticides for that matter). So's just blasting them off with a hose. No method will completely eradicate aphids anyway and plants tolerate quite a few without suffering.

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By Sally on Mon, 07/16/2012 - 10:15am.

I've used a spray bottle of soapy water mixed with some hot pepper. The aphids are NOT happy.

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By EM Painter on Sun, 07/15/2012 - 1:16pm.

You could try the squash method.

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By anon on Sun, 07/15/2012 - 1:25pm.

Allandale Farm in JP before Thayer. You're looking to buy ladybugs so they can eat aphids, etc., right?

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By anon on Sun, 07/15/2012 - 2:03pm.

http://www.ehow.com/about_4588166_ladybugs.html

...among other things easily found with a google search.

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By NotWhitey on Sun, 07/15/2012 - 3:37pm.

Before I'd repost this, I'd want to know just what he wants to control. Ladybugs or 'insects.'

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By anon on Sun, 07/15/2012 - 4:50pm.

I have way too many ladybugs. How do I get rid of them?

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By Boston_res on Sun, 07/15/2012 - 6:22pm.

They really bug me!

I've seen ladybugs sold at Mahoney's in Watertown. One of the 70 buses goes out there.

My strawberries also had aphids one year. Ladybugs showed up, ate them all, then pretty much died on the plant. The aphids were gone, lady bugs became fertilizer, and all was well after that.

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