Demonstrated Success With Ladybugs?

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

Does anyone here have any real world experience with using ladybugs for controlling aphid populations in their garden? Does it work? Did you have to do it on a monthly or weekly basis? Did you have to buy more than is advertised?

I'm referring to the little bags or pint cups of live ladybugs you can purchase online or from some garden stores.

I've had success with using NorCal 86 on my aphid population, but I frankly don't want to go around spraying everything if I can just save the time and release the Krakens, as the saying goes.

 

[Nyboy]

@thistlebloom has

 

[catjac1975]

Does anyone here have any real world experience with using ladybugs for controlling aphid populations in their garden? Does it work? Did you have to do it on a monthly or weekly basis? Did you have to buy more than is advertised?

I'm referring to the little bags or pint cups of live ladybugs you can purchase online or from some garden stores.

I've had success with using NorCal 86 on my aphid population, but I frankly don't want to go around spraying everything if I can just save the time and release the Krakens, as the saying goes.

I have bought a few orders of ladybugs-30 years ago or more.I always have a lot in my garden. The larvae and a lovely purple and black bug and seem to like one special so I make sure not to rid myself of that weed completely. Buying them seems to have worked in raising my local population of them.

 

[thistlebloom]

I have released them multiple times. My neighbors report seeing a lot of ladybugs on their property.

I admit that most of those releases weren't textbook because they were done for the kids garden class to observe.
But just yesterday I did see some eggs on the back of a leaf, so they have at least hung around long enough to reproduce a little.

I'm surprised I don't see more because the tree I release them on has a full pantry of aphids.

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

I'm not hearing "no", but I'm also not hearing "yes", so this might be an opportunity for experimentation.

The NorCal took care of all the areas I sprayed, but I noticed today that my Zinnias that are right up against my tomatoes have an active population as well, and that's just a lot of spraying, hence my post here.

 

[ninnymary]

I've read that sellers collect and remove hibernating ladybugs from native habitats. When you release them, they're in a migratory mode and fly away.

Mary

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

I've read that sellers collect and remove hibernating ladybugs from native habitats. When you release them, they're in a migratory mode and fly away.

Mary

I've read that mentioned as well but haven't seen any real evidence of that except for some random blog posts. Also, they didn't mention a specific brand, so I don't want to attribute that to the entire industry

 

[Ridgerunner]

That's an interesting question Sprig. I have not tried it myself but what I'm hearing so far is that the local population of ladybugs seems to increase. I'm not hearing what happens to then local population of aphids, which I think is the heart of your question.

 

[thistlebloom]

To be more specific Sprig, no, they did not accomplish what I intended and that was to clean the aphids off the tree. To be fair to the ladybugs, and this just occurred to me, I should do more to make it hospitable for them by also keeping the ants from getting into the canopy so they can farm and defend "their" aphids. Perhaps they don't stick around in that particular tree because the ants are doing such a good job of repelling them.

 

[catjac1975]

I've read that sellers collect and remove hibernating ladybugs from native habitats. When you release them, they're in a migratory mode and fly away.

Mary

There are directions for kipping theme in your garden,
i think our have been successful. We also did mantis eggs and always have a ton. We also put our predatory snails/slugs that eat the gross slugs. I rarely see any slugs after one or 2 release of these many years ago.