Keeping it Aphid-Free with Ladybugs
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At Greybull Valley Produce, we use a natural and effective way to keep aphids under control without relying heavily on sprays—ladybugs. Instead of constantly battling pests with chemicals, we introduce these beneficial insects into our deep water culture (DWC) hydroponic system and let them do what they do best.
Why Ladybugs?
Ladybugs are natural predators of aphids, and they do an incredible job of managing infestations. With DWC hydroponics, they stay on the plants better than in other hydroponic methods like NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) or vertical farming, where they tend to fall to the ground and struggle to return to the crops. This makes ladybugs an ideal pest control solution for our greenhouse.
Where We Get Our Ladybugs
We’ve been ordering ladybugs from Nature’s Good Guys on Amazon for several years. They arrive in a small ventilated box, packed in white pouches with wood chips. Releasing them is simple—we just spread them in a couple of locations in the greenhouse, and they get straight to work.
What Crops Attract Aphids the Most?
Not all plants attract aphids equally. In our greenhouse, aphids love basil. They don’t seem to bother chives, rosemary, or other herbs much, but they are relentless when it comes to basil. This is different for other growers (there's over 5,000 species of aphids), but for us, that’s where we focus most of our efforts.
How Often Do We Release Ladybugs?
We release 3,000 ladybugs on this schedule:
- Every two weeks in winter
- Every four weeks in spring and fall
- Every six weeks in the summer
You may need to adjust the frequency based on your own aphid pressure and environment.
Nature’s Perfect Design
Ladybugs are a reminder of how perfectly everything is designed. God's original plan is still the best. Rather than relying on chemicals and constant intervention, we use what’s already been provided to keep our greenhouse in balance.
If you’re dealing with aphids in your greenhouse, I highly recommend trying ladybugs. They’re easy to introduce, cost-effective, and provide a natural way to keep pests under control. Other belificials are lacewing larvae and aphidius.
Some more info on beneficial insects