The organic gardener tries to steer clear of sprays, pesticides and fertilizers. But when you must there is always a natural resource God has given to help you keep an organic, healthy garden. I have found over the years, the garden stays healthier, and studies show so do you!Today we will talk about natures pesticide: Lady Bugs, or Lady Birds.
They can wipe out aphids, white-fly, grubs etc. Check out the info bellow.
Ladybugs are general predators that feed on Aphids and a variety of slow-moving insects. Ladybugs are a must-have for organic gardening or farming. Ladybugs eat insects during both the adult and larval stages, so you can receive ladybugs as adults and continue to have live ladybugs eating during other parts of their life cycle. The lifecycle of the ladybug is between four to six weeks. In the spring the adults lay up to three hundred eggs in an aphid colony. The eggs hatch in 2-5 days. The newly hatched larvae feed on Aphids for up to three weeks, then enter the pupae stage. The adult lady bug emerges about a week later. However, they usually don't have their spots for their first 24 hrs. of
adult hood. So, if your catch one with out spots, you may have found a brand new adult. There may be as many as six generations of ladybugs hatch in a year.
Lifespan of Hippodamia convergens:
From egg to
adult takes 3 - 4 weeks in summer, 6 weeks in spring. When released,
adult ladybugs should mate and lay eggs within 8-10 days.The eggs will
hatch into larvae in 5 days.Temperature and food availability will
determine the timing of each stage and reproductivity.One female can lay
up to 1,500 eggs over their 100 - day lifetime.
Release Instructions:Once you have made it home with your Ladybugs, put them in a household refrigerator but DO NOT FREEZE THEM. For optimal results, release Ladybugs in the early morning or late evening, when temperatures are cool. Do not release during the heat of the day, as heat causes Ladybugs to become overly active and they are more likely to fly away and find shelter away from the original release site. Prior to releasing, water your plants leaves. This will hydrate and relax your ladybugs after their journey. Ladybugs should be released a few at a time on all plants, twice a week during the season when your plants are lush and attractive to pests. After application re-close the container and place in refrigerator for storing Ladybugs for future use. Ladybugs may be stored in a refrigerator for a maximum of 30 days.
Taken from:http://gardeningzone.com/pages/buy-live-ladybugs
For white-fly problems try to get the black ones, they are more aggressive. . . yet I have found the red one's feast on them as well.
