I need ladybugs

The snails have about done in my ground petunias (hopefully they can recover) and now my window boxes have aphids.

Any idea where I can buy some ladybugs locally? I know they won't stick around for long but I want a eco-friendly solution.

Attracting the Good Guys to Your Garden

Soapy water in a spray bottle should take care of the aphids, spray the undersides. In weather like this though, you'll have to reapply after it rains. As for snails, I've had luck with an old tuna can (empty, duh) pushed into the soil and filled with beer. Snails go in and don't come out. Also not rain-proof though. Some eco-friendli(er) options.

Yep, go the beer for snails but I was hoping to not spray anything at all on the plants until trying the ladybugs.

And I want quick solutions before I have to totally replace all my petunias with something else.

My girlfriends sister just got some for her yard, they all dont arrive alive, but 8 bucks for 1500 is not a bad deal

http://gardeningzone.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=121

Thanks LM, that website is great. I like the "what kind of pest is this" section.

ooh....am buying them too. The snails and slugs are eating all of my beautiful (and expensive) plants. I tried doing a keg party for them, but of course it rained and the beer diluted and nobody came out to drink.

are we sure that ladybugs eat snails? it says slow-moving insects, but i am googling to find out if they eat snails in particular and not having much luck

I don't know, but I really doubt that ladybugs eat snails. I think they'd be more likely to gorge on aphids.

I want ladybugs! Only because they're cute.

thats why my gf's sister got em, her 3 year old was so psyched to let them loose in the yard, it looked cool. the weird thing is before you let them go you are supposed to water the bag and keep them in the firdge, or so the directions said. It would be cool to see a posse of ladybugs kicking the shit out of some snails, but something tells me thats not going to happen.

I just ordered some Sluggo online. It gets great reviews for killing snails and slugs and is safe around pets. I hope it works

http://www.amazon.com/Monterey-LG6515-Control-Organic-Gardening/dp/B000BWY3MS/ref=pd_sim_hg_1

I have plates of bud out tonight for the snails and slugs and there are already tons of little slugs that I never see in them! I just pulled about 15 huge snails off of one of my pots of petunias, as well.

Might need some sluggo and to plant something different where my petunias are/were.

crap. I forgot to put beer out tonight. Now it's dark and I don't have a light outside, so I'm afraid I'll wipe out....also, I have Dolores (my raccoon).

Can somebody PM me on Sunday or Monday and remind me to put out some beer? That should do it until the Sluggo arrives.

I bought neem oil for the aphids. A garden store suggested it after I couldn't find anything natural to spray on my herbs. http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-oil-insecticide.html

I wish I knew it was slow working but at least it's natural.

Subject: I need lady bus!

Great Story! I would take care of one problem at a time! Lady-bugs are the most natural organic way to take care of your roses, garden, plants; they eat the insects –aphids that feed on your plants. New blog on the Hx. of the Ladybug: http://historyoftheladybug.blogspot.com/

Last night there was a great battle in my backyard, one of many to come, and many, many lives were lost. My three plates of bud are loaded with snails and slugs, but there are still so many more crawling around!

I think next year there will be no petunias. I love flowers like petunias and marigolds that do well as cut flowers, but I'm not sure I'll get any. My impatiens on the other hand (even the ones in sunny spots) are looking great!

i have petunias as of last Monday and they are going after them. They've really done a number on the coleus. My marigolds are in the front window, so they've been fine...impatiens are doing well too. I'm pissed i forgot to give them beer last night, but I will do it after this next round of rain until my Sluggo comes.

Nice work, OQ!

Picture a high rise with a patio balcony, a new construction using old wood planter called a lean to because looks like stairs with boxes for the steps for growing fresh vegies. Now, I wonder how in the world snails got way up 14 stories to eat my fresh starter plants? Turns out after construction the unit was left outside overnight down stairs. Apprently the snail crawled up the legs and stay under the boxes unknowned to me. after bring it up stairs I quickly added soil & starter pants. The next night they had a feast, were too full to move the next mornng I checked on my plants to find skelitons and fat snails. So, the moral of the story is watch for snail everywhere!

May I recommend getting some ladybugs over at Shannon's Florist on Ft Hamilton Parkway a few blocks south of McDonald Ave.

looks like my bonsai is being infected by spider mites, can ladybugs solve the problem? do gardening stores here in park slope sell ladybugs? it's just a small little bonsai (just started planting it a month ago), how many should i get? and after the mites are gone, would ladybug cause another problem? (after all, a bug is a bug, no?)

KhuntienNang wrote: looks like my bonsai is being infected by spider mites, can ladybugs solve the problem? do gardening stores here in park slope sell ladybugs? it's just a small little bonsai (just started planting it a month ago), how many should i get? and after the mites are gone, would ladybug cause another problem? (after all, a bug is a bug, no?)

From what I remember from my greenhouse days, spider mites spread quickly. Keep it isolated from other plants. I think I used an alcohol solution to wipe the plants down to kill and remove the mites.

From a quick glance, this page will be helpful:
http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-spider-mites.htm

thanks!

yeah, the mites spread very quickly. i didnt know what it was at first and i took damp towel to clean the webbings away, then the next day, it reappeared again. i recently moved the bonsai next to my pepper plant too without realizing the problem. very annoying. now i know better.

i will try the alcohol solution.

Can't help you with the snails, but until you get lady bugs, use a soapy spray for the aphids. Get a clean (do not use a leftover from cleaning solutions)
one quart spray bottle, add some dish washing detergent like Dawn, Joy, or Ivory, about a tablespoon. Spray the plant with the aphids making sure to get all over and under the leaves. The surfactant in the soap breaks down the waxy coating of the aphid and they are done. You will have to repeat this a few times. The soap does not hurt your plant.
Some recommend alcohol spray, but it is not as effective as the soapy solution.

shaunsindelman wrote: May I recommend getting some ladybugs over at Shannon's Florist on Ft Hamilton Parkway a few blocks south of McDonald Ave.

I may have to check this out because the cost of shipping those ladybugs is really expensive ($21 the slow way) because they need to be shipped in ice

My neighbor just told me that Shannon's on Ft. Hamilton (I've never been there) sells lady bugs and praying mantis.


I need to go!

Now I know where the few ladybugs I have came from - they are refugees from her yard!

I have had several successful beer nights with the snails and slugs. I had no idea how many slugs were out there b/c I'd never seen them when out snooping around at night.

The Sluggo has killed my snails. My neighbor is doing it too, so we should be snail free soon

I just bought a bag of ladybugs at Shannon's on Ft. Hamilton. They didn't give me an itemized receipt, but they couldn't have been too expensive based on the total of things I bought for $33.

They also sell praying mantis....or mantises...or is it mantii??