Ladybugs to the Rescue!!

So my organic Spring garden has been doing beautifully and I have been enjoying watching it grow and eating from it whenever I can. There's only one thing I wish I could change about it -- those pesky aphids!!

For some reason, those aphids are all over my peppers plants and my bronze star lettuce. I agreed they are tasty but sharing with the aphids is NOT what I had in mind when I thought about sharing the bounty. When I first noticed bugs my plants, I took a picture and posted it on Instagram for help on what to do organically. They were quickly identified as aphids and I started using a harmless to humans and plants  soap and water spray on them. This diminished them greatly but has not gotten rid of them completely.

I don't want to spray poison in my garden so ladybugs seemed the next best remedy. They're easy to find at the local garden stores or you can order them online too. I was told to keep them refrigerated until ready to use and then pull them out to warm up 30 minutes prior to release. Wet your garden area to keep the lady bugs around longer and be sure to release them close to your aphid infestation. When the food source is gone they will move on to other adventures.

Well, I have a full buffet, so I hope these ladies are hungry little bugs! Not only were they hungry, there was an army of lady bugs! More bugs than you can imagine fit in that container. I felt like a little kid watching them all come out and inspect every inch of my garden! :) Be gone aphids!

Here are a couple pics of the ladies at work. Enjoy!

Eco Monday: pests

It seems like as Spring is arriving (someplaces earlier than others), there are a lot of pests that arrive with it. Roaches and ants seem to come out to play as the winter starts to melt and there is a suggestion of warmer weather. You can keep these pests away using natural ingredients you probably already have in your home. Borax (20 Mule Team Borax can be found in your groceries laundry aisle in a green box), ground cinnamon and chili pepper can be combined and put in a shaker jar to use when theses pests show up. Investigate where they pest seem to be coming in and sprinkle the pest potion in that area as well as wherever they seem to be hanging out. Be sure there isn't anything around that's somehow inviting them in -- food scraps, standing water or silver engraved invitation, etc. It's a great chemical free way to keep pests away. Happy Spring!