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I simply can not BELEIVE the horde of these small red bugs which have invaded my flower gardens (thankfully, not the veggies yet)!!! I have poured dozens of buckets of hot water mixed with bleach, soap, Listerine, you name it - and they just keep a'comin! Never had them before, and I'm guessing it's due to the very heavy recent rains of early June. Any suggestions that don't involve heavy commercial poisons. I even captured a Praying Mantis today and carried him to my garden, and said "Go ahead...make their day!"
I used to have quite a few aphids on my lilies, but I got ladybugs on Amazon and I think they ate all the aphids. It took about a year, and I ordered the ladybugs twice. I saw a little one sleeping on a lily leaf...but no aphids. You have to let them out in Spring, but when it warms up a little is probably best.
I used to have quite a few aphids on my lilies, but I got ladybugs on Amazon and I think they ate all the aphids. It took about a year, and I ordered the ladybugs twice. I saw a little one sleeping on a lily leaf...but no aphids. You have to let them out in Spring, but when it warms up a little is probably best.
I did this a few years in a row when I lived in Colorado and had a horrible aphid problem. It totally worked.
A local nursery sold bags of ladybugs. They came in a mesh bag and I think there were 500? or so ladybugs per bag. They were cheap, anyway. And I had fun letting them be free. And the neighbor's kids were absolutely fascinated that you could buy live bugs in a bag. They helped me shoo and scatter the ladybugs into my yard.
Are you sure they are aphids? Are you sure they're even harmful? I ask, because we had swarms of tiny red mites a few weeks ago. They looked like clover mites, but our Extension agent said they were something else -- can't remember their name -- and they were actually beneficial mites.
So before you go killing them, get an ID. You might be killing good guys, or guys that aren't doing any damage. There is point dealing with an insect that will only be around for a short time and isn't doing any damage.
I agree, they might be red spider mites, or some other mites. I live in the same area, and there are tons of spider mites around my potted plants every summer.
Are they leaving fine webs behind?
I really don't care -- the spider mites don't seem to be harming my plants -- as long as they're not chiggers (and they live in the grass)! I hate those things ...
I agree, they might be red spider mites, or some other mites. I live in the same area, and there are tons of spider mites around my potted plants every summer.
Are they leaving fine webs behind?
I really don't care -- the spider mites don't seem to be harming my plants -- as long as they're not chiggers (and they live in the grass)! I hate those things ...
It's probably not the time for spider mites yet, as the area would need a stretch of hot and dry weather. Their season is approaching, though.
I found the article I was thinking of. It's in the K-State Horticulture Newsletter from earlier this month. Velvet Mites is the name I was trying to remember. Scroll down to see the article on them. See if this is what you might be noticing.
Definitely spider mites in Erie, PA. I squished a bunch of them about a week ago around my front doorway. I couldn't see where they were coming from, but my guess is the crabapple in the front yard.
Are you sure they are aphids? Are you sure they're even harmful? I ask, because we had swarms of tiny red mites a few weeks ago. They looked like clover mites, but our Extension agent said they were something else -- can't remember their name -- and they were actually beneficial mites.
So before you go killing them, get an ID. You might be killing good guys, or guys that aren't doing any damage. There is point dealing with an insect that will only be around for a short time and isn't doing any damage.
I handed a few to the professional landscaper who lives on a couple of acres behind me. Been in the business a long time, and trained at Longwood Gardens. He told me they were aphids. And they do go after leaves; they are clumped on my hostas continually and are putting hundreds of holes in them. I do wish there was someone around here who sold lady bugs or praying mantis eggs/babies, but there isn't; I already looked into that. I'm simply stunned at the number of them.
I handed a few to the professional landscaper who lives on a couple of acres behind me. Been in the business a long time, and trained at Longwood Gardens. He told me they were aphids. And they do go after leaves; they are clumped on my hostas continually and are putting hundreds of holes in them. I do wish there was someone around here who sold lady bugs or praying mantis eggs/babies, but there isn't; I already looked into that. I'm simply stunned at the number of them.
Spray them directly with a neem-oil based spray (Safer brand makes one) or horticultural oil mixed to the growing season strength. Aphids are easy to control if you zap them directly, and you can't always rely on ladybeetles to take care of them all if you have a heavy infestation.
You can buy ladybeetles from Gardens Alive (website), but you have to remember that they're not going to remain on your plants unless there is a food source. I bought some stuff awhile back from Gardens Alive, a powder that you mix into a thick paste and dot on yourplant foliage. It attracts beneficial insects. My impression of it was pretty good; I think it did attract predator insects to what was munching on shrub foliage.
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You have to let them out in Spring, but when it warms up a little is probably best.
