Ladybirds

[scrwright]

After buying some live ladybirds but want alot, only places in the UK seem to sell in hundreds for £50 a pop (in the us you can get 1500 for $30)
Anyone know where I can bulk buy? Have an infestation of blackfly aphids in my orchard that need tackling quickly.

[Andehh]

Also interested, we have the same!

[V8LM]

Can't help, but wasn't it in '76 when there was the plague of them? I remember seeing news articles about the Hoverspeed hovercrafts being coated in them. As this July is so far similar to that of '76 maybe your problems will be sorted.

Edited by V8LM on Friday 3rd July 21:57

[rufusgti]

Well we have had some very prehistoric looking bugs all over our garden and fruit trees this week, literally hundreds of them. After a google search it seems they are ladybird larvae.
I read they're great for the garden. Why is this?

[Mr GrimNasty]

Errr because they munch aphids as quickly as aphids pump out more aphids and the aphids just pumped out pump.

[oilydan]

My wife has just dropped about 35 quid on some ladybirds (25), some larvae (50) and a 'house' for them.

In 1 day they cleared all the aphids on the spinach. I am an impressed skeptic, but reserve final judgement for whether the solution is lasting.

It seems that both the Nematodes and the ladybirds have worked well so far, I wonder if there is a solution for ridding us of a gazillion beech tree germinating saplings

[dickymint]

V8LM said:

As this July is so far similar to that of '76 maybe your problems will be sorted.

Sorry but this July is nowhere near like the summer of 1976.

[scrwright]

was busy watching a scrap between ants & a soldier beetle earlier, said beetle was scoffinh aphids & want dissaproved. Going to put grease traps on the trees today & stop the ants playing bodyguard & milkmaid to the aphids & pull the worst of the infested leaves off.

[Zod]

If you asking September/October, I'll supply you with thousands of the buggers. They infest our house in early autumn.

[TooLateForAName]

scrwright said:

(in the us you can get 1500 for $30)

Bet the US ones are harlequins though.

[scrwright]

seems I have them already

[lufbramatt]

Ladybirds fly though- so surely once you've released them into the garden and they've had a munch on the food that's there they will just fly away?

Also I got bitten by a ladybird at the weekend, still hurts today.