Thrips vs. Ladybugs

[Flatlander]

I've been battling thrips for over a month. I've been treating the plants with smite. Have thoroughly sterilized many times. Still, I can't shake them. I'm nervous about starting another grow. So after some research I found ladybugs that won't fly. Ladybugs are voracious predators and eat many plant damaging insects including thrips and spider mites. So, I bought a ladybug house and 300 live ladybugs. I'm going to put half of them in the grow tent and the other half can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 months. Have any of you ever tried this? ✌

[DW2]

Howdy Flatlander, I have used the ladybugs for pest control in the past, outdoors, in our garden. We had a bad infestation of 'black gnats' (or some sort of small fly) on the black-eyed peas. I bought 1000 ladybugs and turned them loose. It took a few weeks for them to start controlling the gnats, but it worked. I was told later by our county agent that the ladybug larvae are the ones that eat the bugs up. The larvae look like little beaded lizards, black with orange 'beads' on them. They will eat anything that does not eat them first! I do not know how well they will do in a small environment like a grow tent or room. Good luck

[Rwise]

Never used them inside, but I had an infestation of aphids, the poor grape vine was so covered with them, and my girls too. I picked up 1000 ladybugs, put half on the grape vine and half on the girls. Next thing I see stacked lady bugs and then little ones. Aphids are no longer an issue.

[PLreef]

Check out Arbico-organics.com or similar outfit. They have biological treatments for thrips.

[hairyman]

I had thrips this summer on my two outdoor plants, millions of them. Spray them one day and they are back the next. I started to shake the branches hard a few times a day and they would all fly or fall off and get blown away in the wind. It seemed to help.