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  • Mealy bugs on my houseplants — Ladybugs?

    Created by Thomas Gramlich on February 29, 2016 at 9:18 am

    Hello –

    I live in a loft space in Philadelphia – the space has massive windows and thus it is perfect for houseplants and since I no longer have an outside garden I can still perform my #1 pastime which is growing and caring for plants – At present I have Several houseplants that have ben infested with those white mealy bugs – I have tried taking them into the shower and rinsing them off, alcohol as well as the soapy water solution – nothing has worked and now they are moving on to my other plants.

    My question is this – Will ladybugs eat mealy bugs and can I use them indoors?

    If so I will like to order but would need to know how many as it seems like 2,000 would be a lot to release indoors.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated as I have spent a lot of time and money growing and caring for the plants – If needed I have photos I can send.

    Thank you very much for your time and have a great day!

    Regards,
    Thomas Gramlich

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  • March 5, 2016 at 11:59 am #189779

    Eric Vinje
    Keymaster

    Thomas –

    Ladybugs can be effective at eliminating mealy bugs however, they may not be the best choice for indoor control. Ladybugs do not like to be too condensed in one area so they would likely disperse throughout your home until the majority of them found their way outside. Instead of Ladybugs, an even better alternative would be our mealybug destroyers. These beetles come in containers of just 100 individuals (as opposed to 2,000 ladybugs) and are much better suited to eradicate your mealybug infestation. It is recommended that you introduce 2 to 5 beetles per plant, so depending on the number of house plants you have, you could either store the remaining beetles in your refrigerator and reapply in one to two weeks and/or release the extras outdoors. For more information check out our mealybug destroyer link:
    https://www.planetnatural.com/product/mealybug-destroyer/

    Hope this helps!

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