Organic pest control
This weekend we made a trip into town, (SLC) to visit with some family that was visiting from out of town, and to stop by a really good Greenhouse/Nursery, MillCreek Gardens. The reason that we went out of our way to go there was to pick up, oh, eighteen hundred or so workers to help around the garden and yard.
There are approximately 1500 ladybugs in this package. It cost me $9.99 , and I feel will be worth every penny. These little guys were released at dusk (as per instructions on the package.) around our 4 fruit trees, near the raspberries and strawberries, and some in the flower beds. I look forward to having a lot of visits this year from lady bugs while I work in the yard.
This morning I was able to catch a glimpse of this little lady, still catching a nap on a blade of grass. By afternoon, they were on the move, and much harder to find, but no less they were there all right.
I also picked up a cocoon of praying mantis that should carry in the neighborhood of three hundred manti. Between these two I should be able to make a pretty good dent in the aphid population around here. I've done this before in a previous home and loved the surprise of finding a mantis or lady bug every once and a while. This is really the type of gardening that I am enjoying lately. It's a little slower, and not 100% effective, but it will make a big difference, and makes a lot more sense to me, and it helps to build a healthy ecosystem in our yard. If you've not tried this before I encourage you to take a look around to see if you can find them where you are.
P~
This morning I was able to catch a glimpse of this little lady, still catching a nap on a blade of grass. By afternoon, they were on the move, and much harder to find, but no less they were there all right.
I also picked up a cocoon of praying mantis that should carry in the neighborhood of three hundred manti. Between these two I should be able to make a pretty good dent in the aphid population around here. I've done this before in a previous home and loved the surprise of finding a mantis or lady bug every once and a while. This is really the type of gardening that I am enjoying lately. It's a little slower, and not 100% effective, but it will make a big difference, and makes a lot more sense to me, and it helps to build a healthy ecosystem in our yard. If you've not tried this before I encourage you to take a look around to see if you can find them where you are.
P~
Labels:
gardening,
green living,
organic gardening
3 comments:
Great idea...I love finding those in the garden :) We had a real aphid problem last year..and then stink bugs later in the year. Next time we're putting in veggies, we'll have to look for some of these helpers :)
I got one of those praying mantis "eggs" last year and it was out for waaay longer than the instructions said it would be before they hatched. I thought it was a dud, but then one day (at least a month later) the garden was COVERED with baby praying mantises, it was fantastic! Be sure to take a picture of those little guys when they come out!
Robbyn, you definetely should give it a shot. Worst case, they're fun to find, best case, they make a heck of a dent in the aphids.
Rachel, yeah, I remember when I did it a while back it did take forever, but they arrived en mass, and were fun to have.
P~
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