Sprinkling nematodes, broadcasting lacewing eggs, and releasing ladybugs in our garden that we ordered from Gardener's Supply Company.
We used a watering can to disperse the beneficial nematodes, then used a butter knife to gently broadcast the lacewing eggs all over the plant leaves (not in the video). We then covered half of the garden with sheets and put most of the ladybugs underneath. We also placed a few under the existing row covers, which is where we placed most of the lacewing eggs. We've since freed the ladybugs entirely and some are still in the garden. I've ordered praying mantis egg cases but I don't think it would be safe to hatch them this late in the summer so we'll probably wait until spring. It will be interesting to see if we can get the garden to police itself of pest bugs, but I imagine it will take some time to get it right. The plan is to inoculate the garden every few weeks with a new pack to try to get a good mix of life cycles among the beneficials in the pack. For info on nematodes, click here. For info on green lacewing, click here. For info on ladybugs, click here. <- After reading this, I won't be releasing anymore ladybugs.
Spotted today-
Eastern Tiger swallowtail - black and blue color.
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