The problem is that the ladybugs they sell aren't native, and they're collected in the wild. I read that green lacewings are really good predators, and unlike the ladybugs they usually don't fly away. Also, they grow them in a lab, so they aren't taking them from their native environment.
I'm probably going to get some green lacewings next spring or summer to deal with this. We usually have a lot of ladybugs around during the summer, but this year I haven't seen any. If people didn't use so many insecticides in their gardens, there would be more beneficial insects around, and not so many pests. I can't blame them for wanting to have nice flowers...but this is happening for the same reason that MRSA runs rampant in hospitals. You use a broad spectrum poison for everything, and eventually there's nothing left but the superbugs.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2011-09-20 09:20 pm (UTC)I'm probably going to get some green lacewings next spring or summer to deal with this. We usually have a lot of ladybugs around during the summer, but this year I haven't seen any. If people didn't use so many insecticides in their gardens, there would be more beneficial insects around, and not so many pests. I can't blame them for wanting to have nice flowers...but this is happening for the same reason that MRSA runs rampant in hospitals. You use a broad spectrum poison for everything, and eventually there's nothing left but the superbugs.