Pest Control from the Outside In.. Beneficial Insects

[KMHerbalist]

This year in the beautiful Sierras spring has sprung and while I was doing some yard work I noticed that I had a MAJOR outdoor aphid infestation in my Vinca Minor, All the little leaves had a very unnnatural luster as if someone sprinkled sugar water over the whole yard and there was a dusting f aphid molts over every leaf, I could see the masses of aphids covering each other at the budding site of each leaf causing the leaves beyond that tip to become twisted, and deformed. Now I HATE my Vinca Minor (periwinkle) because its rather invasive and is spread over my entire yard and I would love to get rid of it entirely because it doesnt allow me many landscaping choices but my main concern right now is going to be my indoor growspace. In order to protect it I have to take care of my Vinca. I dont want to bring in the nasties to my grow.

Aphids BTW are nasty in more ways than one. They are tended like cattle by ants who love the sticky sweet sap that they produce (Why ants are a bad sign in an indoor garden), they suck the life force out of your plants and reduce the plants ability to fight pathogens, they carry nasty plant pathogens (such as rust and mildews) and transfer them from plant to plant. For instance my vinca has a bad case of mildew, something I did not see last year when I didnt have the aphids.
I called my favorite pest control store, a great place that I found on the internet that sells all kinds of beneficial insects to get advice for my problem since I am not any kind of expert on the subject. Here is what I ordered and why;

One Quart of ladies: I ordered a large amount of ladybugs a lot more than I normally would. My normal purchase for my indoor space is appx 1 pint every month which I store in the refridgerator and release in weekly increments to control the aphids. This large amount of ladies is to bring the aphids under control very quickly. An adult lady can consume up to 5,000 aphids in its lifetime but ladies dont have staying power. They are flying bugs and if they dont like their environment, they're moving on to a more favorable one (unless they're indoors). They need to be released at twilight and watered regularly (daily) with just a sprinkling, I expect them to stay in large numbers at my place given the feast that awaits them and they will reproduce but since they aren't guaranteed to stay I ordered a biweekly "subscription" for the next bug.....

1,000 Lacewing eggs: Lacewings are a lime green colored insect with wings that resemble.. well lace.. sounds rather redundant doesn't it?? These are the insects with the staying power and not only do they eat aphids, they also eat thrips, spider mites, and mealy bugs. The larvae of the lacewing are called "aphid lions" due to their appetite for aphids and they cannot fly which is what gives them their staying power. When they become flying adults they will lay more eggs and for some reason (unlike ladies), these successive generation will remain behind to be your loyal, sustainable, and regular pest control. (Interesting note: Birds dont like lacewings because of their natural scent used to deter predetors, you'll discover why if you smash one, their smell is quite revolting and doesnt wash away easily)

5,000 Trichogramma : These bugs are not for aphid control but to protect my apple tree from all kinds of moths, borers, and cutworms or any worm pest which is helpful in an outdoor cannabis garden. These are wasps that are in fact so small 5 can fit on he tip of a pencil, they parasitize the host bug in the egg stage. They kill the pest BEFORE it can damage the plant and supress the life cycle of the pest.


I have a monthly subscription for the ladies and a biweekly order of both of the other insect for the growing season to keep bad bugs at bay so in a month it will cost me somewhere around $40.00 shipping included not bad at all given the peace of mind they will give me throughout the growing season. I will recieve my shipment tommarrow...

KM