Praying Mantis for Garden Pest Control

Praying Mantis are avid hunters of insects. They are carnivorous garden predators especially effective against leaf destroying pests. They eat:  flies, mosquitoes, bees, wasps, grasshoppers, beetles and crickets and more. The praying mantid is the only predator which feeds at night on moths (moths are active after dark). Praying Mantis are the only predator fast enough to catch mosquitoes and flies!

Each egg case contains approximately 200 baby mantid.  Place the egg cases in the corner of trees, branches of shrubs or a garden fence ledge. You can tie them to a  branch with string. The egg casings will hatch after 10-14 days of WARM weather. Hungry Praying Mantis babies (about the size of ants) will swarm out and immediately look for food. You can use a small paper cup to re-distribute them anywhere in your yard where you have pest problem. Female Praying Mantis will lay more egg clusters that may hatch the following year. The praying mantis is part of nature’s insect control plan, but you should not expect total pest control with the use of praying mantids alone.

Lady Bugs for Pest Control

Ladybugs are one of the most effective forms of biological pest control that we have. In addition to their favorite meal: aphids, they also eat mites, scales, whitefly, mealy bugs, cabbage moths, bollworms, tomato hornworms and broccoli worms.Ladybugs are popular in terms of aphid control because they eat so many! Adult ladybugs can eat up to a 1000 aphids a day. Early evening is the best time to release ladybugs. The ladybugs will come out of their containers very thirsty and will immediately seek moisture.  We recommend sprinkling some water around on your “target plants” before you release them. When their food supply runs short, adult ladybugs may fly off, but their eggs then hatch and provide future pest control. TIP: You can keep ladybug adults from flying away by “gluing” their wings shut (temporarily) with a sugar-water solution. Mix half water and half simple syrup (or any kind of sweet soda/pop) in a spray bottle. Lightly spray the ladybugs in the container as soon as you open it. This light spritz will easily coat most of them. After a week or so, the sugar glue wears off.  Meanwhile the ladybugs will have been feasting on your pests and laying beneficial eggs for another round of organic pest control.

Loquats, Avocados, Dragon Fruit, Nopales, Strawberry Guavas (Merced Gardens)

Have you considered Going Green” by purchasing a living Christmas Tree this year?

At Merced Gardens and Nursery we have a wide variety of  Living Christmas trees. You are sure to find one that is just perfect for your family holiday and yard!

Here is a great article by Forestry.com on how to  Care for a Living Christmas Tree.

Our knowledgeable staff will be happy to assist you with size, care, site selection and installation instructions.

As Merced’s only Independent Garden Center we take pride in our employees’s know how! Remember, here in Merced we recommend adding a soil amendment when transferring your Christmas tree to it’s new home!