I thought my garden was looking pretty good until I got up close and personal with my tomatillo. Taking up residence and about to build a cool condo complex were about a million aphids! I was at a loss as to what to do, so I pulled out my laptop and got to work. Natural pest control was my only option as I find no need to grow my own only to add chemicals to my food. Ladybugs are said to be a veggie gardener's best friend and I figured I could find them somewhere....
I found lots of websites that sold ladybugs by mail so I ordered an army of 3,000 for around 20 bucks. What a bargain! I laid the little bag under the plant and watched the ladybugs pour out the top. Boy, were they hungry! They found the aphids quickly and gobbled them right up. It was fascinating to watch them grab and hoard their food, even stealing each other's right out from under their chins! In the space of about 10 minutes the tomatillo was totally aphid free. I was so impressed, I moved the little bag to the tomato. The theory is this: the ladybugs get so full they find a comfy leaf to relax on and pop out a few eggs that will then hatch hungry and keep the cycle going.
The only flaw in my plan was not checking the weather. Torrential rain and 2000 lightning strikes in 1 hour ruined my plan for complete aphid annihilation! Only about 50 bugs stuck it out, but the plants are all clean and dust-free and I don't have to water for a couple of days....
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