Guidance To Your Perfect Living Space

First, this bug has many names. Some of it’s names are: Lady Bugs, Lady Beetle, Asiatic lady beetle, Asian Lady Beetle, Asian Lady Bugs, Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle.

Worldwide there are nearly 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs of which 400 are found in North America. The Convergent Lady Beetle is the most common beneficial species of Ladybird beetle in North America.

The life cycle of all Lady Bugs are mainly the same. The eggs are laid in the spring. When they hatch the larvae will feed for a couple of weeks and then pupate into adults. During the winter they will hibernate or will have died in the fall. Springtime they awake to feed and lay more eggs again.

As a form of biological pest control Lady Bugs are widely used and are the best known. Besides eating their favorite food aphids they also eat mites, scales, white fly, mealybugs and most other soft insects. They are known to eat cabbage moths, boll worms, tomato horn worms and broccoli worms. These bugs will eat up to 1,000 aphids in it’s lifetime in both their larvae and adult stages.

The most common complaint against the Lady Bug is that when they are released they will fly off and let the aphids have their feast with your roses and tomato plants. But really only a part of your release will venture off, the rest will eat all the aphids they can find and then maybe fly off.

-There are a couple of tricks you can do to keep your Ladybugs-

1. Only release the ladybugs in the evening since they are not known to fly at night when it is cooler.

2. Take a can of soda and mix it with equal amounts of water and spray on the Lady Bugs just before you release them. The sugar will make the wings sticky for just a couple days so they will hang around at least for awhile and eat the pests. Since Lady Beetles claim certain areas home they will stay in your yard and make it their home and the females will start laying eggs in and around your garden.

-What about Lady Beetles in the house-

We are glad to have these beetles hang around and control the pests just like mother nature intended.If they stay at your place over winter they will look for a nice cozy place to stay and that is where your home comes into the picture.

These bugs don’t seem to have any logic to picking a house they just have found yours and they like it there. In the yard and garden they were welcome guests, in your home not so welcome. What we want to do is ask the lady bugs to leave. They don’t speak our language. Read the rest of this entry »

Greenhouses provide a warm, humid atmosphere and are home to a variety of different plants and flowers which is why they are a perfect target for insects. There are numerous types of insects which will want to live in your greenhouse and feed off of the wonderful plants and flowers which you have put so much time and effort into maintaining. The information below will provide you with tips and guidelines to follow in order to ensure you are doing everything in your power to ward off any unwanted pests.

The first step in learning how to prevent and eliminate insects from entering into your greenhouse is to understand and become familiar with the types of insects which are likely to reside there. The following is a list of the most common types of insects which you will likely find in your greenhouse:

Aphids, Fungus Gnats, Flies (many forms), Bloodworms, Thrips, Caterpillars ,Mites,  Slugs and Snail.

Now that you are aware of the different types of bugs and insects which may have taken up residence in your greenhouse, it’s time to learn how to prevent and/or eliminate them from remaining there.

Here are a number of things to keep in mind in order to ensure there are no bugs in your greenhouse:

1. Always keep all doors, screens and windows shut when not being used for specific purposes.

2. Inspect all new plants to ensure there are no bugs on them to begin with. Bugs have the ability to multiply quickly and can potentially cause a huge infestation in your greenhouse.

3. Make sure there is no water lying around whether it is in jugs, cups or in a puddle on the floor. Insects are attracted to wet areas. Read the rest of this entry »

If you have a taste for the unusual in gardening, and an appreciation of the exquisite, you may want to try your hand at growing the one flower that speaks of beauty, elegance and the exotic. Orchids, having more than 30,000 species, are the largest of all plant families in the world, and offer three different habitats for you to consider when choosing which to grow.

Lithophytic orchids grow in the cracks of rocks. Epiphytic orchids grow on other plants/vegetation, but they are not a parasite. This is the most common type of orchid grown indoors, and usually potted in a bark mix, to mimic its natural environment, which is normally a tropical region. Terrestrial orchids grow in the ground, in temperate regions. This means, if you want to have a crack at growing orchids outdoors, they will do best in southern states, although some hardier varieties will grow as far north as the central U.S.

The species of orchid you are growing, will pretty much dictate the pH of the growing medium, since there is such a wide range of materials. The type of medium will also dictate which kind of fertilizer you use. But whichever it is, remember that weakly/weekly is the rule, feeding your orchids at about  the recommended strength, every 7-10 days. When preparing the bed for your orchids, be sure that it has good drainage by putting down either a layer of crushed rock, 15″ under the surface, or by loosening it up with some compost and peat moss.

While most people think of orchids as tropical plants, they actually grow in almost all regions of the world, except deserts and polar regions. That means they can exist in many different environments. For the most part, they do grow in areas that are moderately to heavily forested/foliated, so create your orchid bed in an area where they will get adequate sunshine, but not the very hot afternoon rays. In their native countries, dappled shade is often the rule, Read the rest of this entry »

Natural stone pebbles are becoming extremely popular in homes because of their wide range of colors and uses. Here are a few ideas for use in your own home.

- Japanese Gardens

Japanese Gardens and known for their peacefulness and tranquility. This style of garden uses specific plants as well as rocks and water to create this effect. Often these gardens are small in scale and are incorporated into an overall garden design rather than being the whole garden.

- Decorative Pots

Placing some pebbles around the top of a potted plant can make indoor plants more attractive. Consider what part of the potted plant you want to make the focus. You can use a decorative ceramic pot as well. Decide whether you want matching or contrasting colors in the pot and the pebbles you choose. The pebbles and chosen pot should help focus your eye on the plant you have chosen.

- Vases

Pebbles are also very effective used in the bottom of vases. Glass vases in particular look superb with some colored natural stone in the bottom. The pebble base also helps hold the arranged flowers in place. Decorative vases make great table decorations for dinner parties.

- Paths and Drives

Paths and drives become very low maintenance when covered with a topping of small natural stone pebbles. The pebble size you choose needs to take into account how the path or drive will be used. Heavy car traffic or foot traffic areas need smaller stones as they are more comfortable underfoot and better for cars to drive over. Gravel drives and paths should have retaining edging to hold the stones in place. Drives and paths need to be topped up with extra stone occasionally. They are very durable and much nicer looking than a plain old concrete driveway.

- Water Features

It seems now that everyone wants a garden water feature. They can be very small or quite large and bold but always add an element of tranquillity to any garden. When planning a water feature you can incorporate natural stone in a variety of ways. Larger stones around the edge of the feature can add character. Pebbles can also be used to cover the base of the water feature and to cover up any cords or pumps that are used to power it. Before choosing your stone remember to wet a sample as this is how it will look in your water feature. Read the rest of this entry »