Author Topic: mealybug destroyer ladybugs  (Read 1777 times)

brian

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mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« on: June 02, 2021, 12:07:49 PM »
The mealybugs in my greenhouse have been relentless.  I have been spraying them off with water every day, and the next morning they are back on all the fresh growth.  I ordered some mealybug destroyer insects and they just arrived.  So far it seems encouraging, they immediately started eating mealybugs when I dropped them onto the plants.






Millet

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2021, 01:11:00 PM »
Being a Lady Beatle they might eat other types of insects also.    Be careful you don't blow them out of the greenhouse with the exhaust fans.

brian

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2021, 02:03:21 PM »
Supposedly this type primarily feeds on mealybugs, which is perfect for me.  I have my exhaust fans set on low, so far they seem to be able to fly against the flow just fine.  Hopefully they stick around

Millet

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2021, 02:48:43 PM »
What happens most of the time the predator bugs eat all the insects, then starve to death.

brian

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #4 on: June 02, 2021, 03:54:35 PM »
I can only hope!  If they get rid of the mealybugs it will be worth it.  However I doubt they will ever get them 100%, and they will come back. 

EricSC

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2021, 07:14:39 PM »
Brian,

Would wasp be good green house helpers?   They are easy to found.

 "Paper wasps and yellowjackets are beneficial insects. They feed on caterpillars and other insects that could damage crops or ornamental plants ..."

brian

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2021, 01:50:43 AM »
Maybe, but I don't know if I want a bunch of wasps in my greenhouse, and they are probably not to keen on being caught and released. 

Yorgos

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #7 on: June 06, 2021, 08:41:51 PM »
Usually buying ladybugs is sort of a worthless exercise because they fly off the first chance they get.  Being contained in your greenhouse sounds like a solution.  Keep us posted on how it works out.
Near NRG Stadium, Houston Texas. USDA zone 9a

brian

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #8 on: June 06, 2021, 11:25:28 PM »
I think it is a bust.  They do eat mealybugs, but despite being in a greenhouse with few exits they have pretty much all disappeared already and there are still a ton of mealybugs. 

Millet

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #9 on: June 07, 2021, 11:03:37 AM »
To rid your plants of mealybugs, you have to be twice as relentless as the bug.  Every day after day. Doing so will eventually results in victory. I have them in my greenhouse also.  I use forceful water sprays, plus horticultural oil sprays, and also my fingers.

brian

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #10 on: June 07, 2021, 11:17:28 AM »
Yup, I was out there every day spraying them off and they are truly relentless.  I will just have to keep it up, I stopped spraying when I put the ladybugs out but there are overall more mealybugs than before now.

EricSC

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #11 on: June 07, 2021, 04:12:52 PM »
Brian,
I found 1-2% soap water is very effective to whitefly.   But I only did it in outdoor and mostly spot treatment.  For green house and repeated treatment, accumulation could be a concern.

My tough problems are leaf miner  and thrips.

brian

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #12 on: June 23, 2021, 03:30:50 PM »
I started finding mealybug destroyer larvae in my greenhouse!  They look just like mealybugs, but they are bigger and uglier and much more mobile.  I was spraying them off my trees for a while before I realized they were not mealybugs.  I haven't seen any trace of the adults since a few days after I released them, but this is an interesting development.



citrange

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #13 on: July 04, 2021, 05:06:26 PM »
The trouble with mealybugs is that the seem to be able to hide and reproduce in the tiniest cracks and crevices in the tree bark. So even if you wash them all off the leaves they quickly re-appear from somewhere else. I've even found them in quantities under the rim of my pots, and recently discovered that they are infesting the centre hollow of the bamboo canes I have been using.

Kevin Jones

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #14 on: July 04, 2021, 06:59:48 PM »
Ants are your real enemy...
They cultivate aphids and mealy bugs like a dairy farmer raises cattle.
Get rid of the ants and you will soon find the mealy bugs gone as well.
The easiest way for me is with a good hard hosing of water on a regular basis.
I also periodically use an organic orchard spray that mixes with water for sever infestations.

Kevin


brian

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Re: mealybug destroyer ladybugs
« Reply #15 on: September 04, 2021, 10:24:46 PM »
I am still finding mealybug destroyer larvae and adults on my trees.  They seem to have established a stable population.  However, they have not solved the mealybug problem.  Maybe they are reducing the population but I still find mealybugs everywhere.

Today I power-washed my trees!  I had let the mealybugs and sooty mold build up for too long and spraying them clean with the hose was taking way too long.  The power washer (no soap) did the job much faster and didn't cause any damage aside from knocking a few leaves off when I got too close.