How tidy is your yard? I've read that ladybugs like to hide in areas of unmown grass and weeds, on dead twigs, and in fact that's where I turn them up, constantly. My garden is full of ladybugs. I'm interested to hear others' ideas, but this is my contribution. I agree you'll be happier with a healthy population of them.
Good luck!
Melissa

If you cannot get that thorn completely out by soaking it, and digging for it (with a syringe if necessary), then you ought to get the help of Urgent Care. This is just my opinion, of course, but people write about nasty things that happen with the imbedded thorns. Also you should tell them when you last got a tetanus shot.

We have ladybugs, but have not sprayed for a number of years. Do you have the option of purchasing larva instead of the grown bug?

Sammy

where do you buy a pint of ladybirds? Am a bit staggered, frankly. Do they come from a ladybird farm?
In truth, I feel a bit sick, pondering the alacrity which organic (ha, as if anyone knows what that means) gardeners have embraced the bio-control predatory pest control method. Is nothing warning you that this sort of meddling is just a bit not OK?
And hey, a cautionary tale - we in Europe have been especially keen on this sort of thing, bringing in a specially fierce ladybird from god knows where. In just over half a dozen years, the harlequin ladybird, used for just this thing - eating aphids, has also found our native ladybird to be to its taste too. Amazingly (or not) harlequins are now doing what grey squirrels did to red ones - decimation. And these ladybirds spend the winter in our lofts in their millions, infesting everywhere while 17 species of native ladybirds are at risk of extinction.
So, why not try just growing a few more compositae, raising a few more native plants and stop messing around as though you had any real control whatsoever.

Our neighbor has a completely-untended, weed-grown front yard she thinks of as a 'meadow.' No one worries much about it -- its just Elizabeth. But, this spring, Elizabeth's meadow gave us a great gift -- wave after wave of lady bug larvae! No one on Gypsy Lane has any bad bugs at all, this spring. :-)

Jeri -- On the road, in New Mexico.

So sorry about your ladybugs. My nephew bought my sister a pint for her birthday, and they all flew away also. They are very opinionated about where they will live apparently.

Every spring I see thousands of aphids in my garden. I ignore them. Lady bugs eventually arrive, the plants release defensive chemicals and the aphids disappear leaving little damage behind.

Nature does it better than Ortho or Bayer.

Note: None of this counts when I start dealing with midge next week.

I would only use Bought beneficials in the greenhouse ... I have many ladybugs in my gardens. Sawflies are beginning lay eggs on some roses and I remove those leaves. Aphids a little too early yet - even though I have seen ants busy on some canes I wait to spray until I see "Wiggling clusters of them on shoots and buds" and spray with my natural Pyrethrum flower tea. I have to put up with some caneborers but they are not too bad - just annoying to see a good shoot go limp ---oh well - I find the larva in the canes and crush it. Will not use systemic insecticide.

But if had Japanese beetles and midges like Harry - I would!

My yard is maybe 30% grass in spring. I have a great crop of weeds in the yard and probably always will have. Henbane is prime lady bug territory. Ladybugs don't like chickweed. Lady bugs do use a very large leafed weed with a deep root that is a perennial because the leaves are idea for them to lay eggs on.

I've wondered how many no-spray gardeners coexist with chemically-induced perfect grass lawns and never see a ladybug because the ladybugs are all drawn to the weeds in my sort of lawn.

Hi ILMR: I'm so sorry about the thorn imbedded in your finger. I had prickles imbedded in my fingers last year from cutting Austin roses, and they were annoying. I like roses with tiny prickles, since I can take them out from my finger with a needle.

INSTANT WEED PATCH is a packet of dill seeds. It's not invasive, since you can pull up in 5 minutes. Dill is highest in quercetin (anti-inflammatory), and antioxidant, and dill attract the most variety of beneficial insects. Ladybugs love that stuff, so does aphid lions (the larvae of lacewings), and praying mantis. A dill patch is really pretty next to roses.

I hope your rose thorn will be out soon. Best wishes to you.