Have you ever wondered why we have a fridge full of bugs right behind the counter at Strong’s?

It’s true we keep bottled water and even some sodas in there for our thirsty customers but it’s

also got hibernating lady bugs, nematodes, and praying mantis and trichogamma wasp eggs!

We keep all our insects in the fridge to make sure they stay dormant and/or unhatched until

they reach their new home, your garden!

Why would you want to put MORE bugs in your garden!?

Ladybugs are one of the most widely used beneficial insects for controlling pests on everything

you grow! Cost effective and easy to release the ladybug has a great reputation as a generalist

predator. Ladybird beetles will feed on aphid, chinch bugs, asparagus beetle larvae, thrips,

alfalfa weevils, bean thrips, grape root worms, Colorado potato beetle larvae, whitefly, mites

and many other soft-bodied insects and eggs that reside above the soil.

Ok, Lady Bugs are cool, but what about those toads?

Beneficial Nematodes aren’t actually toads at all, They are microscopic organisms (non-

segmented round worms) that occur naturally in soil throughout the world. They are parasitic

to insect pests that typically have a larval or pupal stage of life in the soil; however, they have

been known to also parasitize above ground stages of adults, nymphs and larvae.

Beneficial Nematodes can be used anywhere developing pests exist including backyards, flower

and vegetable gardens, lawns, fruit and nut trees, vines, greenhouses, row crops, pastures and

more. Nematodes are effective against ants, fleas, flies, grub worms, fungus gnat larvae, mole

crickets, thrips, sod webworms and more!

Alright, so what does a praying mantis do for me?

The praying mantis hunts around the clock, moving through vegetation in search of a wide

range of insects that includes flies, crickets, caterpillars, grasshoppers and moths that it traps

easily with its long barbed legs that move too quickly to be seen with the naked eye. It is also

cannibalistic in that it also eats other mantises, including the female feasting on the male during

or just after mating. Its boundless appetite for insects has made the praying mantis a valuable

component of a pest control regimen in organic gardens. However, gardeners should keep in

mind that that’s only half the story because mantises show no preferences among other insects

and will eat them all, including the beneficial ones such as lady bugs, honey bees and

butterflies.

Your Praying Mantis eggcases are currently refrigerated to regulate hatching; once removed

and exposed to warm temperatures of 70 to 90 degrees F., the average hatch time is 10-20

days.. Each eggcase will yield from 200-400 baby Praying Mantis. Most hatch at once, but some

may take up to two weeks.

And I’m gonna put wasps in my garden on purpose because?

Trichogramma wasps are tiny parasites that attack the eggs of over 200 species of moths and

caterpillars. They are extremely small – 4 or 5 will fit on the head of a pin. Trichogramma wasps

lay their eggs inside the layed eggs of moths preventing the moth egg from hatching into a

caterpillar. This prevents the damage caused by the feeding caterpillars, and also breaks the life

cycle of the pest, effectively preventing the pest from reproducing. In some species of moth up

to 5 parasite eggs may be laid in each moth egg. As the parasite develops within the egg, it

turns black, and after about 10 days, an adult Trichogramma emerges. Adult Trichogramma can

live up to 14 days after emergence.