Beside being cute colourful little creatures, ladybugs represent a great alternative to pesticides in your battle to preserve your beloved plants. Natural bug control has a range of techniques and options that help you enjoy your garden without interfering with the harmony of the environment.
Neatly hanging from the cashier stand smartly merchandised, a paper packet reads …
“Ladies in Red - Organic Pest Control - Live Ladybugs.” Wow! Healthy gardens made simple. “Contains 1/3 cup approx. 1500 Live Ladybugs.” Plump shiny red lady beetles which are seriously effective on aphids, thrip, whitefly, grubs and other harmful plant pests. How perfectly wonderful. My first thoughts were a whimsical notion “come fly with me.”
Beneficial insects include lacewing larvae, praying mantis, dare I say spiders, parasitic wasps and mites and of course ladybugs. They can be purchased pre-packed taken home and released over plants where pest activity has been monitored. Of course another way of meeting these garden friends is to lure them naturally into your garden space with clever plant selection. Attracting beneficial insects to your garden for natural pest control is easy using garden plants that attract beneficial insects like for example Borage, Lavender, Rue, Echinacea, Tea Tree, Grevilleas, Calendula, Sunflower and Butterfly Bush just to name a few. Encouraging these predators (good bugs) is a natural way to control the leaf-chewing, sap-sucking creatures (bad bugs) in the garden without the use of chemical pesticides -. This represents a convenient option for some but there are safer and simpler ways to combat garden pests without ruining the natural harmony of the environment.
Alternative natural solutions
We can protect and develop natural harmony in our green life by use of organic fertilizers and natural products. Homemade recipes are quick and easy and usually require ingredients found in the kitchen cupboard, like:
Optimize growing conditions of plants and suppress weed growth to reduce competition for nutrients - weeds also tend to harbor pest and disease problems.
Monitor and scout regularly for pest pressures placed on crops and practice companion planting by grouping particular plants together that mutually benefit each other and reduce the likelihood of pest attack -e.g. garlic or marigolds-.
Create a safe and friendly habitat for birds, frogs and lizards (snail patrol) without the use of chemicals and providing shelter such as shrubs, water bowls and leaf litter for the ground dwellers.
Chemical pesticides side-effects
Have you noticed that there have not been as many honeybees buzzing around your flower garden? Do you stop and wonder why? Is the severe decline in bee population which is affecting the American farmers a gentle warning from nature? Possible theories are being investigated as research scientists conduct more tests in their plight to solve the mystery of the missing bees. One of the possible reasons or “candidates” causing the bee colony deaths is chemical pesticides!
Other ways in which chemicals are harming our environment are that synthetic sprays do not discriminate between target pests and beneficial insects and therefore kill everything. Regular use may also have detrimental effect on your health. Insect pests are developing a resistance to chemical sprays so stronger formulas are required. Soil becomes contaminated and toxic with residual effect, so earthworms (our soldiers of the soil) either die or move on to cleaner pastures. Whilst chemicals can be effective for treatment of the adult pest they often remain ineffective for the egg and pupa stage of target insect, requiring repeat applications of the product. Incorrect use of chemical or prevailing weather conditions may cause spray drift, contaminating aquatic environments such as ponds and dams and possible spillage into waterways.
Renewed interest and increasing demand for organic food products, trendy backyard vegetable plots replacing the once popular and iconic family swimming pool and a ground swell of public opinion shouting “green,” finds us at a perfect time to replace chemical control with biological control in the home garden - the preferred choice for the bees knees when it comes to pollination. Just as nature intended.
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More information about this topic in our home & garden section.
"The company IPM Technologies breeds small quantities of ladybirds. For availability of ladybird eggs and specialty information on pest management, contact them on (03) 9710 1554 between 10am - 3pm. Pricing $27.50 + $11.00 postage for 100 eggs.
They can also be contacted at www.ipmtechnologies.com.au"
Aspartame is an excellent substance to take care of all kinds of ants. Ants, mice, and spider also do not like peppermint so you can plant this near your doors or use essential oil spray in the area near where you see these. See this page on my web site http://www.leaflady.org/environmental_health.htm for directions.
We found this american website where you will be able to buy some ladybugs : http://gardeningzone.com/index_130.html?osCsid=c118085ca5d855d6b36d6957d38c68ea
It seems that they only ship to the US, but you should try to contact them.
"My Happy Garden" first published in 1997 is full of good information about natural gardening and how to use plants to boost health and deter bugs in your garden. This is based on a presentation at the Evergreen State Fair for the Rose Society.
Unfortunately I have noticed a decrease in bees and lady bugs - (so I would actually consider buying some, even though I know they would just fly away). I have a garden full of flowers and am adding ones to attract the bees and lady bugs. Thanks for some suggestions.
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Comments
"The company IPM Technologies breeds small quantities of ladybirds. For availability of ladybird eggs and specialty information on pest management, contact them on (03) 9710 1554 between 10am - 3pm. Pricing $27.50 + $11.00 postage for 100 eggs.
They can also be contacted at www.ipmtechnologies.com.au"
http://www.leaflady.org/environmental_health.htm for directions.
We found this american website where you will be able to buy some ladybugs :
http://gardeningzone.com/index_130.html?osCsid=c118085ca5d855d6b36d6957d38c68ea
It seems that they only ship to the US, but you should try to contact them.
Best Regards,
Green Times Team