Comments on: What to Do if a Weed Plant Has Bugs

By: duhcaptain

duhcaptain — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:10:24 +0000

oh, DUH – I just remembered something (I wish we could edit, and that way I would not have to submit another post).
Use ASIAN beetles. They look JUST like lady-bugs (except they are orange), and are closely related. BUT they bite anything – including YOU. But they are considered pests, and are not commercially available. You would have to collect them by hand. We have them thick here, and they ATTACK like mosquitoes. I was trimming my bush and was assualted by the damn things. It felt like lil tiny bee stings all over.
I will take lady bugs anyday – besdies, they are cute. lovable, and my fav color – red.

By: duhcaptain

duhcaptain — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:03:56 +0000

Well, I’ve never had any problems other than Aphids or Spider-mites (and the ladybugs will gobble up the aphids like a special desert). I guess if you get bugs bigger than those, they would have to be things like caterpillars, and could probably just be picked off by hand.
You could import ants into your growing area, ands they would attack the caterpillars, but they would also protect the aphids from the lady bugs, and end up “raising” the aphids like cattle – bang – thier go your plants. If your growing indoors, I recommend lady bugs for the small plant-sucking pests, and just hand-picking any caterpillars off. If your growing outside, then you want to get a hornets nest in your plants. They will FEAST on caterpillars – but dont ask me how to get a hornets nest. I am petrified of them. I got stung multiple times by 1 hornet years ago, and it resulted in a soar that never, ever went away (touches soar as we speak to remind self).
Ouch – DAMN!

By: ganjafarmer

ganjafarmer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:52:31 +0000

Shot man, that’s an awesome tip. I’ve heard of the ladybugs thing before, now that you mention it. Not the most common cure for spidermites, but probably one of the best. The ladies won’t hurt the plant at all, but then again they only really target the small wormy things. Know of any bigger bugs that kill the slightly bigger-than-spider-mite bugs?

By: duhcaptain

duhcaptain — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:59:49 +0000

You are right about 1 thing – go with a natural cure. ANYTHING you spray on your plants will adversly affect flavor. Get ……
LADYBUGS. You can prolly order them from a nursery. They are sold as natural pest control for soft-bodied plant-sucking pests. Store them in the refrigerator. Once a month, or as often as it takes to keep the packing most (NOT soggy) sprits them with a mist of water. But do NOT ever keep the container open for more than a minute. They wake up from hibernation FAST and will swarm out of the container on you. Sprinkle a few around the base of your plant, then pop the rest back in the fridge FAST. Too many “wake-ups” and they will die. Once you have had them for several months, let the rest of the unused ladies go free. They cant hibernate THAT long.
Another tip: Dont sprinkle too many ladies into your growing containers. Too many lady bugs will eat the spider mites too fast, eliminate thier food supply, and the ladies will die out or leave. Then your spider mites will come back later. Moderation is best. A few spider mites must survive to keep on feeding the ladies. You may even get a few ladies that edcide to stay forever and lay eggs. But mist your plants often, as the ladies like a bit of a shower now and then.

By: ganjafarmer

ganjafarmer — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 05:11:30 +0000

Thanks man, don’t speak your language

I think you want a link exchange? email me about it.