Lady Bugs For Da Kill...

Lady Bugs are something us new growers seem to get that seems like a right of passage, something we have to do just once. Growing organic with a philosophy of keeping it green with no pesticides .... and dealing with fungas gnats seems like part of a grow now, just something you have to deal with. Having wigglers in the soil I'm hesitant to use any type of spinosad insecticide at the moment. I'm using and have been using "natural" insecticide like Lost Coast Plant Therapy and Mammoth cannCONTROL. Both made with natural ingredients. The latter (Mammoth) seems to be handling it well at the moment. The gnats come in spurts per weather conditions. Some days I see none, some days it's war. Out of curiosity, and because I'm a nature kind of guy, decided to give these lady bugs a spin. Made a makeshift housing for them (medium tub) with raisins and a wet a sponge so they can drink water at their leisure. rolled up some cardboard so they can huddle up in. Instead of just dumping the 300 count order on top of a plant, I made a small short term lady hotel for them, hopefully they stay put. Set the box near the tent away from the bright lights, within half hour some had made their way into the tent on their own. This might be my first and last use of them though. I already Invision finding a few in my buds when I'm ready to smoke a bowl.

Once they've eaten everything they'll split. Or try to. Did you spray them with sugar water to keep them from flying?

hotrodharley said:

Once they've eaten everything they'll split. Or try to. Did you spray them with sugar water to keep them from flying?

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oh nice, thanks for the tip. I have my tent in the garage and am counting on them to stay put for at least a week or two. I know zilche about lady bugs ... shooting from the hip on this one.

Week4@inCharge said:

oh nice, thanks for the tip. I have my tent in the garage and am counting on them to stay put for at least a week or two. I know zilche about lady bugs ... shooting from the hip on this one.

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I've seen people use Pepsi.

Many years ago this smiling weatherman in Albuquerque was a well known organic gardener. He'd give dates and gardening info and etc. He would talk up ladybugs and the organic gardening club sold them as a fundraiser.

Put your orders in now because they go fast! And so I did. One night he announces ladybugs have arrived so certainly it's Spring! They're being delivered as he spoke.

Got my container and took them outside and left the container in the apple tree near the roses. Lots of aphids, ladies. Help yourselves

Instead they flew away. Every damned one of them. So I call this weatherman who educated me about ladybugs and especially how after they have been hibernating they have to fly or be awake for quite a while before they're ready to eat anything.

Never saw one that summer on my roses. Never bought them again either.

I've never bought them, but have had horrible aphid infestations (outdoors), and have had wild ladybugs find my plants. Once they start eating, they seem to stay. If you get several, and they get it on, like in the picture at the top of the page, you'll see the larvae crawling around soon. Creepy looking things... black, orange and spiky. They eat the hell out of aphids, then go into cocoons, eventually emerging in their beetle form. If there's food, they seem to stay, if not, they fly away. Seeing it out in the wild is a beautiful thing... like nature's circle... the plants feed the aphids, the aphids feed the lady bugs, the lady bugs clean and protect the plant.

Indoors the ladybug larvae will pupate all over your colas.

If you want to keep them fed, look up wheast, pretty simple to make.

If it’s knats you want to control use a 1” layer of clean sand to seal your top soil and stem. Works well

That's my main concern right now about the lady bugs, the gnats tend to just stay low away from the colas, and within half hour of Introduction they're getting it on dead center of one of my colas ( my pic above) I might have to rethink my grow style here. I have tried the one inch layer of sand thing. That creates other problems in itself though, especially with fabric pots. I'm currently using a cover crop to keep the top soil from getting hydrophobic. peat moss tends to cause this problem. I might have to forgo the cover crop thing and use something like steel wool? I saw it used on a vid but can only think that will eventually rust? Maybe a layer of marbles? Something I can easily remove whenever I need to check the pH of the soil would be idea.

SFnone said:

I've never bought them, but have had horrible aphid infestations (outdoors), and have had wild ladybugs find my plants. Once they start eating, they seem to stay. If you get several, and they get it on, like in the picture at the top of the page, you'll see the larvae crawling around soon. Creepy looking things... black, orange and spiky. They eat the hell out of aphids, then go into cocoons, eventually emerging in their beetle form. If there's food, they seem to stay, if not, they fly away. Seeing it out in the wild is a beautiful thing... like nature's circle... the plants feed the aphids, the aphids feed the lady bugs, the lady bugs clean and protect the plant.

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I've seen a swarm of these imbedded in cracks of huge trees up in the mountains near here. If this lady bug thing works out (minus my worst fears) I might have to try grabbing some wild lady bugs.

Fluffy Butt said:

Indoors the ladybug larvae will pupate all over your colas.

If you want to keep them fed, look up wheast, pretty simple to make.

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found it... thanks... equal parts of yeast and honey.

Microbe Lift BMC

10 drops to 5 gallons of water and you have complete annihilation of any gnats while staying 100% organic and harm free.. That stuff will annihilate most soft bodied insects just like Spinosad.

Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (BTI) is allowed to use even in California grows. It will drop them gnats, mosquitos and soft bodied flying insects like it's hot.

Fun Fact Spinosad is not allowed in Michigan for cannabis cultivation even though there are OMRI versions and it's considered to be safe. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If you're using predatory insects to control fungus gnats then you want Rove Beetles. But realistically, fungus gnats are easy to control. Spraying the top of the grow medium with a neem oil solution or even canola oil which many already have in their kitchen will take care of them.

xtsho said:

If you're using predatory insects to control fungus gnats then you want Rove Beetles. But realistically, fungus gnats are easy to control. Spraying the top of the grow medium with a neem oil solution or even canola oil which many already have in their kitchen will take care of them.

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Hey guys ..thanks for the help, and Canola oil .. this I have to try. I'll try that before going with the Rove Beetles, and I'll look up that microbelift the same, huge mad tips here, thanks again! Checked in on the Lady's (and the ladies) and they're everywhere ..lol..

My top soil
my quick housing for the lady bugs, there's raisins and ripped cardboard in there with a wet sponge for water
And the Lady's

Week4@inCharge said:

Hey guys ..thanks for the help, and Canola oil .. this I have to try. I'll try that before going with the Rove Beetles, and I'll look up that microbelift the same, huge mad tips here, thanks again! Checked in on the Lady's (and the ladies) and they're everywhere ..lol..

My top soilView attachment 5072669
my quick housing for the lady bugs, there's raisins and ripped cardboard in there with a wet sponge for waterView attachment 5072670
And the Lady'sView attachment 5072671View attachment 5072672View attachment 5072673

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I didn't realize that you have companion plants in your pots. That changes things. I don't know about using any oil based remedy with small seedlings like you have. It might harm the companion plant seedlings.

xtsho said:

I didn't realize that you have companion plants in your pots. That changes things. I don't know about using any oil based remedy with small seedlings like you have. It might harm the companion plant seedlings.

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I am using this stuff at the moment, smells like a heavy menthol, just got it yesterday. Think I'm gonna do a heavy watering of Mosquito Bits soon. I'm about to try that canola oil thing regardless, throwing everything at them pots until something sticks! Or not, I do have some Hypoaspis Miles in the soil, I can see them moving around sometimes.

Week4@inCharge said:

I am using this stuff at the moment, smells like a heavy menthol, just got it yesterday. Think I'm gonna do a heavy watering of Mosquito Bits soon. I'm about to try that canola oil thing regardless, throwing everything at them pots until something sticks! Or not, I do have some Hypoaspis Miles in the soil, I can see them moving around sometimes.
View attachment 5072680

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I just know that to high a concentration of oil can harm plants. I still make my own sprays using oils like sesame and canola. But I use sparingly. I pretty much only use DIY remedies made with stuff I have on hand. I stopped using neem and instead use sesame oil which seems to work as good or better as a preventative.

That mammoth should work but I wouldn't spray it in flower.

xtsho said:

I just know that to high a concentration of oil can harm plants. I still make my own sprays using oils like sesame and canola. But I use sparingly. I pretty much only use DIY remedies made with stuff I have on hand. I stopped using neem and instead use sesame oil which seems to work as good or better as a preventative.

That mammoth should work but I wouldn't spray it in flower.

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copy, understand completely. Anything that can deviate from true flavors, don't use, much appreciated.

Did some reading on the Rover Beetle and they are a soil dwelling insect, might be the right ticket here. (thanks again for the recommendation) https://www.naturesgoodguys.com/products/atheta-coriaria-fungus-gnat-control?_pos=1&_sid=c0e28866c&_ss=r

Da Battle Continues....