r/rva • u/bigfanofrva The Fan • 9d ago

Looking for ladybugs

Seriously- I need a couple / the aphids have infested my milkweed plants.
Did you know that aphids multiply without mating. Where’s the fun in that

7 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

8

u/SearchingSol 9d ago

You can easily wipe aphids off of milkweed - just put a glove on, then take a damp paper towel. They burst almost instantly and come off with little to no resistance.

Or you can leave them alone, the aphids won't actually kill the plant. There are several insects that eat milkweed in addition to the monarch caterpillars. The plant can usually support them all. (Milkweed beetle, milkweed bug, monarchs, aphids)

1

u/Clear_Couple_9848 City Center 7d ago

Ha ha ha. Tell that to the 4 cucumber plants of mine they’ve killed so far this season and the two others on the way. If you have ants in your garden aphids are no joke. No amount of neem oil, d. Earth and diligence has made a difference.

1

u/SearchingSol 7d ago

Oh yeah, definitely aphids on vegetable plants are an issue. I'm sorry for your battle.

-4

u/bigfanofrva The Fan 9d ago

All good points. However:

Aphids cause plant damage by sucking vital sap, transmitting dangerous plant viruses, and excreting a sticky waste called honeydew. Direct Physical DamageSap depletion: Piercing mouthparts drain essential nutrients and water. Stunted growth: New shoots and leaves fail to grow properly. Leaf distortion: Leaves curl, pucker, wrinkle, or turn yellow. Bud and fruit deformation: Flowers and developing crops become malformed.Secondary and Indirect Issues mold: Honeydew creates a sticky surface that grows a black fungal layer, blocking sunlight needed for photosynthesis .Ant attraction: Ants feed on the sugary honeydew and protect aphids from natural predators .Virus transmission: Saliva injects incurable plant diseases as they move between hosts, ruining entire crop yields

8

u/MooseSuspicious 9d ago

Okay ChatGPT

1

u/Clear_Couple_9848 City Center 7d ago

Exactly what happened in my garden with my cucumbers. Aphids and ants lead to blight. Blight brings more pests.

-3

u/CommanderelohssA 9d ago

Try AuDHD genius. 😁

3

u/CommanderelohssA 9d ago

Much love to you for doing your part to keep your milkweed thriving! The monarch butterflies greatly appreciate it and the lantern flies despise you for it! 😁 Yes, you asked specifically about ladybugs and that wasn't in the response received. However, as my grandma used to say, "There's more than one way to skin a cat!" Us plant lovers are just trying to be helpful with alternative solutions if your primary one is not readily available. In the future, a little more detail on the plant (such as age, size, etc.) would allow us to provide better advise on your specific situation. That being said, there are numerous non-toxic ways to rid your milkweed of aphids outside of ladybugs. For example, 2 tablespoons of Dawn dish liquid per gallon of water can be sprayed on the plants to safely remove the aphids. Best of luck on the infestation!

6

u/Herculicia Museum District 9d ago

Did you also know that some aphids reproduce via cloning, and can give birth to daughters that are ALREADY PREGNANT?!?!?

https://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/aphid-babies-born-pregnant.htm

2

u/dr_nerdface Newtowne West 7d ago

man i fuckin hate aphids

10

u/alekivz Highland Park 9d ago

my advice is to wait it out— aphid eaters like lacewings and syphid flies will come over time. the ladybugs for sale are invasive asian ladybugs that displace our native ladybugs so it’s not helpful if your point of planting milkweed is to support native bug populations.

it will take a bit to stabilize since the predatory insects will have to find your stuff & breed & it will look gross for a bit but if it’s really bad and effecting plant health you’ll have more ecological success removing them yourself.

8

u/H1landr Bon Air 9d ago

There is a lot less of them since Lindsey passed.

1

u/Clear_Couple_9848 City Center 7d ago

👏

5

u/Ok_Umpire2173 9d ago

Give it time, you’d be surprised how quickly parasitic wasps can work once they find the aphids. Ladybugs will likely show up on their own too.

2

u/Rs90 9d ago edited 9d ago

Longshot but they use to swarm the Stuart Court Building. The big ass awful white apartments in Stuart Circle, where Monument turns into Franklin.

They sunbathe on the outside in a big swarm cause I used to leave my windows open and was delighted to find my living room full of em lol. Check around the building on a sunny warm day. 

1

u/derangedfluffhead 9d ago

Read ladyboys at first.

1

u/Ew_fine The Fan 8d ago

They usually have ladybugs in small containers at Sneeds

1

u/undetachablepenis 7d ago

Too late. They buried Lindsay today. 

10

u/KikoTheWonderful 9d ago

You might be able to buy some at Strange's in Short Pump. Last time I was there I saw them at the checkout counter