I read that lady bugs are good for your flower garden...?

....but they don't seem to be helping to get rid of all the other bugs as much as I hoped. I wondered if I put some soapy water on them (leaves) after the sun goes down to help with the "bad" bugs if that would hurt the lady bugs?? They are helping some, but I am afraid just not enough.
I read that lady bugs are good for your flower garden...?
Lady bugs are a good form of biological control, however; sometimes they just can't cut it.

Try a product called Sevin, you can buy at Wal-Mart. It will control the majority of pests and take some of the pressure off of the Lady bugs
Reply:The men who sold us the Ladybirds (Ladybugs) at Chelsea told us to wait until we have a problem and place the Ladybirds where they are needed. If they have a food source like aphids they will stay put, eat and mate and that is exactly what they are doing. My husband has been enjoying placing them on a Dianthus infested with black fly. They latch onto the black fly and munch away. Then they mate. We're hoping some of their fearsome larvae hatch. They're even more hungry.



We've had loads of aphids. There's plenty of food for the Ladybirds. There is a nest of ants in my back garden who farmed aphids last year. I'm waiting to see if they do the same and will release the rest of my Ladybirds there.



What you're doing with Ladybirds is introducing a colony of good bugs to control the bad bugs. It takes patience and an understanding there is a balance to be achieved, not complete obliteration of your pests.



If you add a chemical control right now, even if its soapy water, you risk harming your Ladybirds. If you want to help, wipe off and mash the aphids. You can do it with gloves.
Reply:Ladybugs are great for pest control, they love aphids and other kinds of mites and scales, but they won't get rid of all pests, only a few select ones. Their larvae also munch on soft-bodied pests, so a combination of both is probably even better.



What kind of bugs are you trying to control? Maybe another beneficial insect like Lacewing larvae could help. You can find a web site that will tell you about the different insects and their best uses below, hopefully that will help.
Reply:Ladybird beetles, or ladybugs, eat aphids and other bugs that feed on your flowering plant's nutrients. The more aphids the more ladybugs. Give nature time to catch up. And as the ladybug population grows, they get picked off by birds.