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04-07-2005, 04:17 AM #2
Senior Member
bug problem
http://www.tcs-hydroponics.com/doc/bugs.htm#mantis
this seems well worth a look ,natural predators
1 Praying Mantis Egg Case
$5.95
some bugs are good bugs
use bug warfare !!
Mantises are territorial stalkers of insects. They will spend days waiting and tracking its prey. The praying mantis moves its head to keep its prey in sight. Its head stimulates special receptors that send out nerve impulses that instantly adjust the distance and angle of the mantis quick strike. It delivers a bite to the neck, killing the insect and then savors the meal. That's how they work. The praying mantis is an awesome showy creature and can help to control garden insect pest the organic way
(Tenodera sinensis)
Praying Mantis are beautiful insects with a voracious appetite, and a delight to have in the garden. Being strictly carnivorous, they'll eat almost any insect of any size they can overcome. Waiting in quiet ambush for hours at a time, when an insect comes wandering by they suddenly jump out and attack- always biting the neck first. At rest, they seem to be "praying", holding their "hands" together.
Each praying mantis egg case will hatch about 100-200 tiny mantises, all at once. In order to hatch they'll need several weeks of warm weather, so they can "sense" that summer (and pest insects for food) has arrived. Attach the egg cases to a twig or plant about a foot or two off the ground where there's cover to protect the babies. When hatching, the young crawl from between tiny flaps in the cases and hang from silken threads about 2" below the case. After drying out, the long-legged young disperse into the vegetation leaving no evidence of their appearance. This happens within an hour or two, and it's very difficult to know hatching has occurred unless the elusive, well camouflaged young are found. (The egg case does NOT change appearance in any way.) If you'd like to see when the mantis have hatched, place the egg cases in a paper bag, fold the top and seal shut with a paper clip or cloths pin. Place the bag on a window sill in direct sunlight. Periodically open the bag CAREFULLY, and when you see tiny mantids running around inside, take them outside and sprinkle them throughout the garden. Be patient- sometimes it takes up to eight weeks of WARM weather for them to hatch.
Once hatched, praying mantis begin feeding on small insects, such as aphids. Later on, they'll continue advancing up to larger and larger prey. By summer's end, praying mantis can reach several inches in length. In the fall, females produce more eggs, deposited in a frothy secretion that hardens to protect the eggs from predators and severe winter climates. Egg cases are attached to twigs, leaves, fences, etc.. Several egg cases may be laid before cold winter finally sets in. This new generation of praying mantis will hatch when warm weather returns, to repeat the process.
Best to purchase by June if you live in the northern US If you want them to grow to maturity and lay eggs
Ladybugs
CONVERGENT LADYBIRD (LADYBUG) BEETLES Ladybugs are general predators that feed on a variety of slow-moving insects including aphids, moth eggs, mites, scales, thrips, leafhoppers, mealybugs and other slow-moving insects. During the adult and larval stages it is a predator. Adults are shiny, hemispherical beetles, often reddish-orange or yellow, with black markings. Larvae are black, with conspicuous legs and orange spots on their backs. They move from plant to plant on leaves. Larvae pupate on the upper leaf surfaces, plant stems and twigs. Eggs are yellowish-orange ovals, laid on end in clusters of 10 to 50. Release rates for 500 square feet of planted area: 1500 ladybird beetles are generally enough. For 10 acres with light to moderate infestation: One gallon (72,000) and up to one gallon per acre with heavy infestation. Apply the ladybug to the infested area as soon after receipt as possible. Repeated releases two to three times a week apart is recommended
Predator Nematodes
Predator Nematodes are some of the most useful pest controls to come
along in years, because if an insect spends part of its life cycle in the soil (lots of them do), predators want to kill them - it's as simple as that. Looking like microscopic "worms", predator nematodes attack and kill more than 250 different insects. Nematodes are shipped as a mix of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema carpocapsae Nematodes.
to name a few
it takes a lil investment but would be worth it
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