I need ladybugs

Soapy water in a spray bottle should take care of the aphids, spray the undersides. In weather like this though, you'll have to reapply after it rains. As for snails, I've had luck with an old tuna can (empty, duh) pushed into the soil and filled with beer. Snails go in and don't come out. Also not rain-proof though. Some eco-friendli(er) options.

My girlfriends sister just got some for her yard, they all dont arrive alive, but 8 bucks for 1500 is not a bad deal

http://gardeningzone.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=121

ooh....am buying them too. The snails and slugs are eating all of my beautiful (and expensive) plants. I tried doing a keg party for them, but of course it rained and the beer diluted and nobody came out to drink.

I don't know, but I really doubt that ladybugs eat snails. I think they'd be more likely to gorge on aphids.

thats why my gf's sister got em, her 3 year old was so psyched to let them loose in the yard, it looked cool. the weird thing is before you let them go you are supposed to water the bag and keep them in the firdge, or so the directions said. It would be cool to see a posse of ladybugs kicking the shit out of some snails, but something tells me thats not going to happen.

I bought neem oil for the aphids. A garden store suggested it after I couldn't find anything natural to spray on my herbs. http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-oil-insecticide.html

I wish I knew it was slow working but at least it's natural.

Picture a high rise with a patio balcony, a new construction using old wood planter called a lean to because looks like stairs with boxes for the steps for growing fresh vegies. Now, I wonder how in the world snails got way up 14 stories to eat my fresh starter plants? Turns out after construction the unit was left outside overnight down stairs. Apprently the snail crawled up the legs and stay under the boxes unknowned to me. after bring it up stairs I quickly added soil & starter pants. The next night they had a feast, were too full to move the next mornng I checked on my plants to find skelitons and fat snails. So, the moral of the story is watch for snail everywhere!

looks like my bonsai is being infected by spider mites, can ladybugs solve the problem? do gardening stores here in park slope sell ladybugs? it's just a small little bonsai (just started planting it a month ago), how many should i get? and after the mites are gone, would ladybug cause another problem? (after all, a bug is a bug, no?)

thanks!

yeah, the mites spread very quickly. i didnt know what it was at first and i took damp towel to clean the webbings away, then the next day, it reappeared again. i recently moved the bonsai next to my pepper plant too without realizing the problem. very annoying. now i know better.

i will try the alcohol solution.

shaunsindelman wrote: May I recommend getting some ladybugs over at Shannon's Florist on Ft Hamilton Parkway a few blocks south of McDonald Ave.

I may have to check this out because the cost of shipping those ladybugs is really expensive ($21 the slow way) because they need to be shipped in ice

I just bought a bag of ladybugs at Shannon's on Ft. Hamilton. They didn't give me an itemized receipt, but they couldn't have been too expensive based on the total of things I bought for $33.

They also sell praying mantis....or mantises...or is it mantii??