Quote Originally Posted by lampost
hey, i forgot to ask...

are ladybugs very effective against spider mites? i currently don't have any mites that I'm aware of... i did bring some in on clones, but i think i killed them.

so would ladybugs be an effective preventative introduced at 3-5 weeks flowering? i understand you need to leave them some sugar water too if the prey isn't established?
Maybe the ladybugs need sugar water...the lady beetles don't. I know what you mean about the box elders..they're creepy the way they "see" you. I don't think they are a real serious problem since they eat little but I would definitely get some sticky traps and throw em out when you can.

...and to be honest, I have never seen spider mites (knock on wood) and ladybugs in the same area so I really don't know.