Ladybugs?

If you can't get them locally, they can be purchased online...

We actually just found a place in case anyone is interested.

Niceville Garden Center has them. We are on our way to pick them up now!

Hungry

Hopefully you will read this before you release the Lady Bugs.
They will be extremely hungry, make sure you wear gloves because they will start eating on you.
Release them where you have a high bug infestation to insure they don't leave in search of food.

Right, also I think you can just release some of them, then close up the mesh bag and put them in the fridge or other cool dark spot for a few days. Their packaging should have some food in it to keep them going...

Speaking of natural pest controls... anyone know a good nontoxic way to control those fuzzy white hopping bugs that leave white fuzz behind on stems and undersides of leaves? The bugs are impossible to catch, they jump so far so fast, and the fuzz seems to keep my old faithful soap spray from doing much to slow them down.

They seem to suck the sap our of stems and leaves, while looking so innocent, and the nect thing you know a plant is decimated. What bugs eat these bugs? Think oil spray would slow them down? What good critters that are active now might be adversely affected with oil spray?

Speaking of natural pest controls... anyone know a good nontoxic way to control those fuzzy white hopping bugs that leave white fuzz behind on stems and undersides of leaves? The bugs are impossible to catch, they jump so far so fast, and the fuzz seems to keep my old faithful soap spray from doing much to slow them down.

They seem to suck the sap our of stems and leaves, while looking so innocent, and the nect thing you know a plant is decimated. What bugs eat these bugs? Think oil spray would slow them down? What good critters that are active now might be adversely affected with oil spray?

Dormant oil will likely work. Just be sure to read the label as some are designed for winter use only. Also a soap and water mixture can be effective against most soft bodied bugs. Somtimes a vigorous water spray will do the trick. Although I have never done this myself, some people use diluted pepper juice for bug spray. There is a book called "Organic Gardening" published by Rodale Press. This is the Bible for the organic gardener. It covers everything from start to finish and is easy to read and use. I have learned more practical and useful information in that book than anywhere. Good luck!

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Susan,

I call those woolly leaf hoppers but am not sure exactly what they are. As mentioned the oil is probably your best bet for killing adult as well as crawler stages. I'd not use dormant oil though as likely things are all leafed out. Try light weight / summer weight oil such as 'Ultra Fine'. It is paraffin based though but not too toxic.

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Hopefully you will read this before you release the Lady Bugs.
They will be extremely hungry, make sure you wear gloves because they will start eating on you.
Release them where you have a high bug infestation to insure they don't leave in search of food.

Thanks for the heads up -- we do appreciate it.
In addition to the evening release, we have also been told to water things prior to. It seems like we've got plenty of aphids for them to feast on. Once they are done cleaning up here ... hopefully they will hatch a few babies for us ... then move on to other households in need

Right, also I think you can just release some of them, then close up the mesh bag and put them in the fridge or other cool dark spot for a few days. Their packaging should have some food in it to keep them going...

We did get 2 containers of them. So, we will release some of them this evening and more over the coming days.

Speaking of natural pest controls... anyone know a good nontoxic way to control those fuzzy white hopping bugs that leave white fuzz behind on stems and undersides of leaves? The bugs are impossible to catch, they jump so far so fast, and the fuzz seems to keep my old faithful soap spray from doing much to slow them down.

They seem to suck the sap our of stems and leaves, while looking so innocent, and the nect thing you know a plant is decimated. What bugs eat these bugs? Think oil spray would slow them down? What good critters that are active now might be adversely affected with oil spray?

We're not sure we have the right identification but from what we have read -- those are wooly aphids / mealybugs. The cotton is a natural defense for them -- predators don't want to get a mouthful of cotton.

These bugs are our main problem right now. We've been using this Neem oil / garlic mixture and it works for a little while but they are always back the next day. Spraying them off with water is a temporary fix too just to get them off before they take over. We also read about changing your soil, washing the roots, sterilizing your container and then putting in new dirt but that doesn't really work if your plants are in the ground.

We've read about a specific type of moth that eats them, and a wasp too.

We are trying the ladybugs to see what happens. At the Niceville Garden Center they had ladybugs, praying mantis and nematodes. If the ladybugs don't seem to be helping, we may be back for the nematodes ... they were quite a few more dollars.

We also saw our first sign of scale today ... and a termite swarm down the whole street

Guess every living thing is loving this warm weather!

We're not sure we have the right identification but from what we have read -- those are wooly aphids / mealybugs. The cotton is a natural defense for them -- predators don't want to get a mouthful of cotton.

These bugs are our main problem right now. We've been using this Neem oil / garlic mixture and it works for a little while but they are always back the next day. Spraying them off with water is a temporary fix too just to get them off before they take over. We also read about changing your soil, washing the roots, sterilizing your container and then putting in new dirt but that doesn't really work if your plants are in the ground.

We've read about a specific type of moth that eats them, and a wasp too.

We are trying the ladybugs to see what happens. At the Niceville Garden Center they had ladybugs, praying mantis and nematodes. If the ladybugs don't seem to be helping, we may be back for the nematodes ... they were quite a few more dollars.

We also saw our first sign of scale today ... and a termite swarm down the whole street

Guess every living thing is loving this warm weather!

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I have a friend who has kept a healthy population of nematodes going in her yard with one of the main intents being for termite control. If you buy nematodes, make sure the date on them is still OK and that they've been kept in freezer.

Here's a link to some non-chemical control measures for termites that include nematodes: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/termites/nonchem.htm
excerpt:
"There has also been research on the use of entomopathogenic ("insect infecting") nematodes to control termites. Nematode-containing products have been used for many years against a variety of other pests, most notably in turf against soil-inhabiting white grubs and some caterpillars. Results for the use of nematodes against termites have been mixed, but continued work in this area may someday result in an effective product."

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Thanks, everybody, for the tips on mealybugs. I haven't ever used oils so didn't want to try one that would do more harm than good. I have some neem so I might try that -- I've read it is generally safe for all the good guys. I love having so many knowledgeable gardeners here to help me out!

Eastern Lake Nursery has an organic spray that I've had good luck with in the past. Let us know how your lady bugs perform. Would certainly consider giving that a try.

Thanks, everybody, for the tips on mealybugs. I haven't ever used oils so didn't want to try one that would do more harm than good. I have some neem so I might try that -- I've read it is generally safe for all the good guys. I love having so many knowledgeable gardeners here to help me out!

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I forgot about Neem Oil. Would agree that it is a better choice environmentally than Ultra Fine. Have seen better results at times with the UF Oil but Neem is less likely to harm beneficials. My vote is for the Neem ...

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