Ladybugs...natures little enforcers!

[Chuck]

I thought those lady beetles were quite a nuisance, being every where. Good to know that is not the case. How can you tell if your plants are being effected by aphids or spider mites?

Aphids are easy to see. Spider mites look like very very tiny spiders almost impossible to see. Then when they mature they spin webs all over your plant

 

[Beth_B]

These little "ladies" have something to say about that

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Nom nom nom.
When I lived in Colorado, aphids were an issue and a local nursery sold bags of 1000 ladybugs (I wonder who counted them and put them in the mesh bag LOL). I had aphids, and every spring bought a few bags of ladybugs and they really did do the job. Plus I liked being able to set them all free to stretch their little wings.

 

[Pat]

How to would you introduce ladybugs to your indoor plants to help control the bugs on your plants. I would not want them flying around the house.

 

[Java Guy]

I only ended up with 8 ladybugs on my plants. I didn't order them, I just picked them up from outside if I saw one. You can order them in bunches of 500 to 1000. I certainly wouldn't release that many indoors! The ones I had stayed on my plants for about a month then disappeared. I don't know if they got out of the house or found a nice place to hibernate. They are perfectly harmless (unless you are on their menu) so I am not too concerned about it. I noticed they stayed on the plants that I mist...they like moisture.