Ladybugs and cheesecloth...will this work?

[electricthot]

I just discovered whiteflies, and am too close to harvest for spray. I've screened in my indoor grow space with cheesecloth, and released about 1,000 ladies last evening. I picked about 30 or 40 up off the floor inside the room this morning and put them on a plant. There,s a corner where something less than a hundred "leaked" out, and I'm going to pick them up and get them on a plant. Otherwise, they are all still contained. Will it last? Time will tell......

 

[Phyto]

Yes that should work. Lady bugs feed on both the adults and larvae. Try to release them outdoors once you’re done with them. You really only borrow lady bugs, once released they’ll continue their migration.

 

[amneziaHaze]

They allsoo shit soo hopefully your temp and humidity are good soo poop doesnt start molding

 

[electricthot]

That's picking at straws. Aphids poop too. As do all insects without digestive systems.

 

[electricthot]

Something didn't work. The ladybugs seemed to go dormant upon release. They're mostly at dirt level. Some of them crawled up the plant stem a ways when I watered, but they went back down when the water subsided. I put out lacewing egg cards today. If they don't work, I'll smoke the damn bugs. I ain't spraying my Auto Lemon Kix and Auto Orange Bud. Not even with organic spray.

 

[dreamnfox]

Something didn't work. The ladybugs seemed to go dormant upon release. They're mostly at dirt level. Some of them crawled up the plant stem a ways when I watered, but they went back down when the water subsided. I put out lacewing egg cards today. If they don't work, I'll smoke the damn bugs. I ain't spraying my Auto Lemon Kix and Auto Orange Bud. Not even with organic spray.

Make sure they have plenty of water around the base of the plant, you can also cut up some raisins and soak them in some water, last bugs love them

 

[electricthot]

There are a lot of ladies crawling through the clay ball medium I use, and they should go after the lacewing eggs I just put out. If they do, maybe they'll go after the whiteflies too. Right now, I'll take any kind of action I can get. The whiteflies are sure to get caught in the middle....ha ha. I've kept them down--I only see two or three flies at each plant when I shake them, and I don't seem to have any aphids.

 

[dreamnfox]

There are a lot of ladies crawling through the clay ball medium I use, and they should go after the lacewing eggs I just put out. If they do, maybe they'll go after the whiteflies too. Right now, I'll take any kind of action I can get. The whiteflies are sure to get caught in the middle....ha ha. I've kept them down--I only see two or three flies at each plant when I shake them, and I don't seem to have any aphids.

Did you spray the leaves of the plant with water? This will attract them up into the plant. The lady bugs shouldn't eat the lacewings, I release them together all the time

 

[electricthot]

I noticed my plants were coated with dust from a recent dust storm. I drug my garden hose in there and did a heavy mist. Then a heavy Dawn/water mist, followed by a good rinse mist. I think there's still time for them to recover. Every time I water, my ladies come up out of the mulch and climb up the plants till the water goes back down. I think they want to hibernate. Lacewing larvae are all over the plants by now, I move the cards around several times a day. Very few whiteflies this morning. Good news!

 

[KG1]

Ladybirds are not keen on indoor grow rooms with very little food and at those numbers.

Great outdoors but inside they just seek to escape or give up unless you meet their exact needs.