We went to Zamzows and asked what we could buy to get rid of them. We could have sprayed them or dusted them with some kind of bug killer. But Matt was intrigued when they mentioned getting lady bugs to eat the aphids. Funny. Buying bugs to get rid of bugs. We bought a container of those little critters for about $10. I think lady bugs are cute when I see ONE flying around, but when I saw a thousand bugs in this container, I was thoroughly grossed out.
We kept them in the refrigerator until it was almost time to let them out. They sat out on the counter for an hour and then Matt took them outside after it was dark. He opened the lid and placed it under my biggest plant that has the most aphids on it. They were still coming out of their sleeping state so they didn't just go flying everywhere when he opened it.
Zamzows said that most of them will fly away, but some would stay around and eat the aphids. The next morning I went out and looked to see how many stuck around. This is what I found.
The majority flew away to someone else's garden, but hopefully these little guys will stick around and eat and eat and eat.
Plant some marigolds in your garden, too. Ladybugs like to live in marigolds.
ReplyDeleteGood idea, Rach. I was going to do that just for the color. I wish I had followed through. Maybe I can find some on clearance. By the way, just about all of the lady bugs have flown away. Bummer.
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