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Guess I'll have to wait until these guys have their fill before I break out the Neem. Love my guys.

Ladybug larvae eat even more.
I am glad you are not breaking out the neem yet. Supposedly neem should not harm the ladybugs since they are hard bodied, not soft bodied insects. I prefer to let nature's controls take care of problems since that is what they were designed to do.

Every time we intervene in the ecosystem, what we do affects other things in the scheme. We haven't gotten smart enough yet to figure out that solving one problem, often creates another, sometimes undesirable effect. Besides, I would spend a lot less money on slug and snail bait if mother nature would send me a toad or two.

Neem should not harm the ladybugs, because it only works when ingested. You put it on the leaves and the leaf eaters take in the Neem with the leaves they eat and it works on them from the inside. Ladybugs do not eat leaves so they are ok. And the Neem is not a poison, so if the ladybug would happen to eat an aphid that had died from Neem, it would still be OK.

The only danger to honeybees, ladybugs etc from Neem is if it is sprayed directly on them. Then like any oil, it can clog their spiracles (breathing passages) and suffocate them. So try to use the Neem in the evening after the ladybugs and honeybees have gone home.

My guys had their fill and moved off the blooms. I didn't spray the leaves since ladies were still on them. Did you guys notice the tiny wasp?

I see her now

Yep I think it's actually a syrphid/hover fly.
If it's laying eggs, you'll find tiny green slug-like larvae on the plant later. Don't squish them.

Looks like your Garden Patrol is on the job.

Yes they are!!!!!!!
It's been an easy year as far as pest control goes.
That's how it is when you quit trying to kill everything.

Yep, as long as the bad bugs are not overwhelming everything, just making sure the plants get all the space, water and nutrients they need to stay healthy and providing a habitat for the beneficial insects, they do a much better job in the long run than using the pesticides. There may be a few holes in the plants, but it is o.k. to share.

JC's Garden wrote:Yes they are!!!!!!!
It's been an easy year as far as pest control goes.


That's how it is when you quit trying to kill everything.

Yes, indeed!

I've seen aphids on my roses. Best thing is to pinch them off. Or spray insecticidal soap at the first signs. I inspect my roses and all my flowers every day.

Just curious, what variety of okra is that? I have Jimmy T okra and it loads up with aphids too, then the ladybugs come to the rescue. Aphids gone in like 2 days.

Juliuskitty wrote:Just curious, what variety of okra is that? I have Jimmy T okra and it loads up with aphids too, then the ladybugs come to the rescue. Aphids gone in like 2 days.

That is Clemson Spineless okra. That one was left over after I planted. I just dug a small hole, stuck it in and told it, "live or die". No soil prep at all. Small pods on this one, but it's producing.
Most of the time I just leave the aphids to my good guys or use the water hose to knock them down. Easy peazy.

I've lately been reminded of the importance of not trying to kill everything, including not trying to get rid of all the aphids. A few aphids do not slow plants down very much. They are only damaging to plants when it becomes a major infestation, so the plant is pretty covered in them. That's the time when you need to do something to slow the population growth down to give the Garden Patrol a chance to catch up. But if there aren't aphids (and other stuff) for them to feed on, the ladybugs and other members of the Garden Patrol will pack up and leave for greener pastures. Then when the aphids come back (they always do), there will be no controls for them around. AND the honeydew that is excreted by aphids, scale insects, mealybugs turns out to be an important part of the food chain. Not only do ants like it and farm the aphids for it, it feeds many different bees, wasps, flies, etc. including the parasitic wasps and flies that help control other bad guys in your garden.

Every part of the system is necessary and important!