Good insect information

This time of year GH insects become somewhat of a problems for me. My GH is jam-packed and it's difficult to really check the plants the way that they should be checked. Add to that...they have been inside the GH since Sept first, that's 5 months +...and it's still almost 4 more till they'll be moved outside. Mealies, white flies, aphids and scale can and do become a problem, despite my best efforts and watchful eye. Inside the GH provides an excellent environment for critters...since there are no temperature extremes, there is bountiful food and few predators. Within the next few days I'll introduce some Lace-wings to serve as predators. Later, I'll let you know what I think. One of the BIG problems with using/relying on biological control (predator insects) is that you need to allow the pest insect populations to become pretty high to provide a food base for the (good) predator insects to sustain themselves; for the larvae to develop, lay eggs and reproduce. Several years ago I bought and introduced Lady Bugs into the GH but I had not screened the exhaust fan and within a few days the ladies had been blown outside and were gone. This weekend I screened the exhaust fan. For general insect information, the following link provides loads of great data and photos. If you are curious about insects and various control measures..and want to learn more...check them out at:
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Joe,
Thanks for the info I went to the link I love the up close and personal pics...
Bonnie

Although I would not call it a problem yet, I have seen some mites on my citrus. I gave them all a bath, followed by a fine spray with alcohol. I have been monitoring daily with just a few stragglers being found from time to time. Their fate has been a run-in with my thumb. The more interesting thing is, when I gave them all a bath, I looked at a few leaves under my son's new microscope. We were able to see the egg, nymph and adult stages. We also got to see the results of a spritz of 50% alcohol. The alcohol took care of the nymph and adult in short order, but the egg looked unaffected, which is consistent with what I have read. The egg has a very shiny outer surface, and the alcohol did not seem to penetrate, or even dull or dehydrate the surface. We were all very intrigued! Not enough to want a repeat performance, however! Barbara