Aphid Control using Ladybird Larvae is the answer to your outdoor aphid problems; the larvae can eat 100-150 aphids per day and can be used on a wide variety of outdoor plants where arguably the gardener's biggest enemy is present.
Aphid Control using Ladybird Larvae is supplied in jute bag which is simply hung on a soft fruit plant, tree or shrub (use 2-3 bags for larger trees) and the hungry larvae (50 in total) quickly emerge in search of a snack or 100!
Both adult ladybirds and larvae can be applied from early May (only apply larvae in temperatures of 10ºC+ indoors or outdoors) but neither should be introduced after September. Repeat treatments of Aphid Control using Ladybird Larvae as required.
PLEASE NOTE; the pest MUST be present before introducing this predator for control to be effective - please do not order beforehand. This live product is despatched to UK addresses only!
- Aphid Control using Ladybird Larvae supplied in a jute bag
- Each bag contains 50 larvae
- Simply hang bag on plants where aphids are present
- Provide a suitable habitat to encourage ladybirds to stay in the garden, such as a ladybird log tower
- Ideal for outdoor use
- Best suited for controlling light infestations of aphids
- Try our Aphid Kill using Lacewing Larvae for heavy aphid presence|For indoor problems we recommend Aphid Control using Ladybirds.
- Use 2-3 bags on larger shrubs or trees
- Larvae emerge from bag in search of aphids
Live Pest Control Delivery
Being a live product the larvae are ordered weekly every Thursday. These are then delivered on Wednesday of the following week for delivery by the end of the week.
For example an order placed on a Monday would be ordered on Thursday, received the following Wednesday for delivery by the end of that week.
Product Reviews
Wasn't sure if the tiny creatures that arrived would even find the greenfly on my roses, but a week later there was no sign of the pests, and soon after, ladybirds were about so it worked!
My beloved Sunburst cherry tree - which is now 4 years old - has a decent crop ripening BUT had an infestation of black cherry aphid. The ladybird larvae were amazing, cleared the problem in a day or so.
What a great way to control aphids. Most of the Ladybird Larvae were looking well and moving. Some were very small and it was therefore hard to tell if they were alive! I expected them to come in an easy to use bag that I hung for them to escape. Instead they arrived in small plastic breathable bottles. They were housed in a snug bedding of sawdust, which they seemed happy in. It did however take some time and effort to get them out of this bottle and distribute them about the garden. Overall i am very pleased with the product and have enjoyed watching the larvae at work until they metamorphosised and now I enjoy watching the ladybirds at work!
APHIDS
Order; Hemiptera
Family; Aphididae
Symptoms
The presence of the 500 species of aphid is indicated by large amounts of sticky honeydew and sooty moulds on the upper surfaces of leaves. Aphids are extremely well-known to gardeners under the guise of greenfly, blackfly and various local names. As well as the above symptoms, the effects of aphids feeding on plant material weakens and distorts new growth, and these pests will also spread viruses from diseased plants to healthy plants through their saliva. Aphids are clearly visible on the stems and leaves of infested plants, and the mosaic patterns of the various viruses they transmit can also be seen on the leaves. Many of the hundreds of species of aphids are common pests of fruits, vegetables and outdoor ornamental plants as well as greenhouse and house plants. Some species will feed exclusively on one plant species but others will attack hundreds of different plant hosts.
Description and Life Cycle
All species of aphids can be found on plant stems and leaves of the host plant. These small soft-bodied insects range in size from 0.5mm to 6.5mm in length, and colours can vary from shades of green to black, yellow, brown, pink, grey and white. Unfortunately for the gardener, aphids have the ability to produce live young from unimpregnated females although the reproduction of this pest is complicated by seasonal alternation of sexual and asexual periods of development and the differences between the hundreds of species. Some aphids are winged and although they cannot fly as such, they can be carried hundreds of miles on thermal breezes, leading to further infestations. Generally, eggs are laid in the autumn on the winter host plant which hatch in the spring; this is followed by migration to the summer host plant (hence the species peach-potato aphid). Another generation is produced in the autumn which returns to the winter host for egg production.
Biological Pest Control Treatment
The coccinellidae family (more commonly known as ladybird beetles) are well known as beneficial garden predators. There are various species of ladybird but most will feed on aphids, and some species will also attack scale insects, mites, mealybugs and whitefly. It is good horticultural practice to encourage ladybirds into the garden and greenhouse environment as they will attack any aphids in the margins and will also move into an adjacent area when infestations of aphids appear. Generally the eggs of the various ladybird species are laid on the underside of leaves in spring. The adults over-winter in buildings or under bark so the provision of a ladybird nest or bug box will help to keep numbers of over-wintering adults high. The larvae which eventually hatch from the eggs are mobile and benefit from having the same biting jaws as adults, and are in fact, more voracious feeders than the adults when almost fully grown. The larvae pupate either in close proximity to their main food source or in a simple pupal case on the ground. Occasionally, ants may be seen swarming over aphid populations on the stems of plants; these ants are actually feeding on the honeydew secreted by the aphids and are not consuming the pests
Live Pest Control Delivery
Being a live product nematodes are ordered weekly every Thursday. The nematodes are then delivered on Wednesday of the following week for delivery by the end of the week.
For example an order placed on a Monday would be ordered on Thursday, received the following Wednesday for delivery by the end of that week.
