Good Bugs Won!

20 years ago

Last year towards the end of summer, my small greenhouse got infested with aphids. I didn't want to use any kind of toxic chemicals. So I mostly sprayed the plants with soap and water but the aphids and ants reproduced so quickly, it really was a losing battle. I even bought some ladybugs and set them loose in the greenhouse. In about a week, I think they escaped or died. The infestation was mainly on the guavas. Well surprisingly in the last month, many ladybug lavae has hatched from some where and incredibly has very much wiped out most of the aphids. Even the ants seemed to have given up defending the aphids. Battle won I think.

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Comments (5)

annafl
20 years ago
Congratulations, eggo! You did good! Now aren't you glad you didn't spray? Sounds like it payed off. Now you have built in controls from those pests for the long haul, hopefully.

Today I sprayed some beneficial nematodes all over my lawn, around my roses, and most of my yard hoping to control thrips, grubs, and parasitic nematodes. I hope it pays off too!
ohiojay
20 years ago
That's really great. I'm hoping to keep something like that in my greenhouse. I wanted to put some small lizards in there but my wife is scared to death of them! She'd kill me. I think it'd be cool to have them running around lapping up the nasties.
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gatrops
20 years ago
This is the first year I have tried using beneficials to control spider mites in the greenhouses and they seem to be doing an excellent job.
Eggo
Original Author
20 years ago
Yeah I'm glad I didn't go with the whole chemical thing. Its a small greenhouse and I hate to use chemicals, I just fear anykind of chemical buildup wouldn't really be good in the long run. I've also noticed that there may be some kind of parasitic wasp also, the aphids are left with just its shell and it looks like something burrowed out, very similiar to pictures I seen of parasitic wasp.

Jay, how about frogs, don't they eat bugs also. hehe
annafl
20 years ago
Eggo, I don't know if after only two weeks I can really credit the beneficial nematodes, but I have been trimming the spent roses daily, and there is a marked improvement in the thrips. I saw only one tiny thrip today on a total of maybe twenty roses. Before, there were two or three visible ones on every rose I would trim. To be fair, I have to say that before I sprayed the nematodes, I cut down the culprit. I had planted an Indian mallow last year and it had bloomed for three months straight. All of a sudden while walking past it three weeks ago, I noticed thrips on it. I had never before had noticeable thrips anywhere. The tree was next to the rose bed, and of course, I looked at the roses right away. I noticed some thrips on them. This had never been a problem before. I cut the tree down that day and bagged it carefully in plastic, including all the tree litter I could find. I ordered the beneficial nematodes right away and sprayed them as soon as they arrived.

Maybe getting rid of the tree was all that was needed. All I know is that it is now dificult to find the thrips, whereas it was easy before I sprayed the beneficial nematodes.