A couple weeks ago I purchased some ladybugs from www.gardeningzone.com to help keep down the growing aphid population around our plants. If you don't keep something around for them to feed on once the "bad bugs" are gone, they'll leave the area. So, I decided to purchase a Springstar Ladybug house with lures to try to keep them around. At the same time I purchased these "aphid chasers (alarm)" hoping they would help as well.
I sent a question through their website asking if the ladybugs would survive shipment in cold February conditions. Well, it took them a week to get back to me but their answer was basically "they'll be fine". So, I bought 350 of their ladybugs along with the house and the chasers. I ordered on a Thursday, paid 2 day shipping and waited until they shipped the next week on Tuesday (nice guys). After arrival, about 100 of them were already dead, so much for "they'll be fine". I released them and within 24 hours another 100 or so were dead. This is now almost 2 weeks later and I think there are maybe 25 or 30 left alive.
Now, I received this house along with a couple of what they call "lures". I then opened the "aphid chasers" and noticed something strange. The "ladybug lure" on the left of that image came with the ladybug house; the one on the right is what they call the "aphid chaser". Notice anything (like they're the same)!
I'll set aside the apparent scam on the "lure" vs. the "chaser/alarm" but the ladybug "food" that came with the house was spilled all over the place, there were no directions with it and even after I put it up it didn't work. Doesn't really matter if the house works when they're all dead anyways right?
Moral of the story, don't bother with either of them. Get the ladybugs (from somewhere else); let some of them die off so you reach a natural equilibrium of bad bugs vs. predator and move on.
2 comments:
Sorry to hear about your experience with Ladybug breader and Ladybug house and Ladybug Lures. There are so, many bad thing you did that it would take me an two or more hours to explain. 1) learn more about a creature before you order it. You ordered lady bugs off season. 2) you did not have a house for them first. 3) You purchase the wrong supplies and you did not introduce your multi herds of ladybugs to their new home and your yard. 4) Do not expect vendors to steer you straight they make money on selling things Ladybugs, houses, and bate. 5) thought of buying any bridges lately?
Hmm, interesting comments. For each of your "hours"....
#1 - Did that, in fact, have read several books on IPM and beneficial insects. That's why I asked the vendor before purchasing if they believed they would survive shipment. If someone asked me if a Habanero was hot, I wouldn't say no just to sell seeds.
#2 - Have a greenhouse.
#3 - Supplies, like aphids for them to feed on? Have those. Only purchased 300 lady bugs, not sure how that's a "herd".
#4 - Don't expect a vendor to be honest? I will completely disagree there, not only do I expect it, I demand it. We're honest to a fault with customers so yes, I have come to expect the same from my vendors. They would have gotten the same money from me when they are "in season".
#5 - Maybe, if it would help.
By the way, since you claim to know a ton about lady bugs, useful additions would be much more beneficial.
In the past I've simply hit pest problems with chemicals and this is my first season without them, my expectations were somewhat high.
On a follow up, I gave the vendor another chance on the ladybugs on another order. These arrived intact and are not only surviving, but flourishing.
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