I'm curious if buying ladybugs or other beneficial insects is a good strategy for managing pests in my garden. Have any of you tried it? How effective is it really?
1 Answer
I tried using ladybugs to control an aphid problem last year but it didn't go as planned. Unfortunately, most of them flew away since ants were protecting the aphids. It taught me a lesson! I ended up having to deal with the ants first using poison, but eventually, native predators showed up and took care of the aphids once the ants were gone. This time around, I’m already preparing with ant traps!
Ugh, that sounds frustrating! I think next time I’d focus on getting rid of potential ant issues before introducing ladybugs.