nika107, the label on Takedown⢠proclaims that the a.i. as "Pyrethrins... 0.1%"
I suspect ( but cannot prove) that at that concentration, the product might not kill all adult ladybug beetles. True pyrethrins do not last long either.
So by all means release more lady bugs. If the aphids infestation is massive, you can help out the ladybugs by judiciously pruning away heavily infested twigs.
You will lose some flower buds by pruning but every activity has its trade off.

Whitefly will just laugh at pyrethrin based insecticides. This sounds like a lot of work, but I've done it and that is to literally wash all the leaves on your hibiscus with soap/water, especially the undersides to remove the eggs and instars. They'll be stuck on like glue. If you can't get control of them that way and it may take some repeating and patience, then a summer weight horticultural oil spray will do it. Outdoor whitefly is rare, but not unheard of in our zone if they come hitchhiking with a plant from a nursery so I feel for you in your zone where they are an outside pest. They are very hard to eradicate due to resistance and also a thin, waxy coating. Systemics work on them as well, and although I don't like recommending chemicals, it may boil down to that. The aphids are a piece of cake compared to whitefly.

Here's another opinion about purchasing ladybugs. Their populations are declining, in part due to being collected while dormant.

Then, when you release them, they do what they are genetically programmed to do: They fly, fly, fly away.

Far better to encourage your own populations of lady beetles by limiting use of pesticides. For instance, you can manage aphids by squishing, or by a harsh water spray, then repeat as needed.

So should I not purchase ladybugs? And yeah, whiteflies are nasty little hobbitses!!! They're so bad in my veggies that when I spray them with the hose, it's like it's snowing!

Regarding the whitefly, I've done some research tonight, and have seen people talk about earthworm castings as a systemic and neem oil, but what else is there that would be stronger yet safe on veggies?

I'm in San Diego, btw...

This is a product that has pyrethrin and canola oil as the active ingrediants. Pyrethrins are broad spectrum poisons that will kill any insect it contacts and the canola oil can block the breathing ability of any insect suffocating it. Form the web site of one seller of this product,
"Unique Features:
⢠Kills all stages of insects, including eggs
⢠Dormant and growing season spray
⢠Provides broad spectrum control
⢠Controls aphids, mites, whiteflies, beetles, caterpillars, scale and more
⢠Does NOT persist for long periods in the environment
⢠Does NOT contain PBO"
Aphids can be easily controlled simply by knocking the wee buggers off the plants with a sharp water spray. Whitefly can be a bit more difficult, but spraying broad spectrum poisons will also kill off any predators of both of these. Yellow Sticky traps can be used to trap the Adult Whitefly and judicious use of Insecticidal Soaps can help with the larva. Next up on the toxicity list would be Neem Oil Products with anything containing any amount of pyrethrin as a very last resort.

Here is a link that might be useful: whitefly

It's the oil in a product not the pyrethrins in products like that effective on whitefly.......it suffocates them in all life stages. Ask any professional grower how effective pyrethrins are with whitefly control. That's how iminicloprid came on the scene, new class of insecticide, no resistance. I suspect they're now resistant to that or you can take it to the bank they will be. Oils are not considered organic to the purest, but barrier insecticides like that are a wonderful alternative to poisons and definitely underused. Just follow label directions to limit phytotoxicity and for use on food crops.

Ok so I'm off to rig up yellow sticky traps. And I guess Safer or another insecticidal soap? What about just using Dawn or Ivory liquid instead? And then Neem oil as a last resort?

Nika:

I feel you. I'm in Santee and i get overrun with whiteflies every year. I don't see a ton yet this year but I'm sure I will by August.

Already got the sticky traps out and been doing the water treatments pretty judiciously for aphids anyhow. But, one more great thing is I'm seeing a lot of ladybugs. I released some last year but they flew off like jean001 said. So, either I'm doing things better this year by planting a lot more plants that attract them, OR these are descendents from previous releases, OR somebody is releasing them nearby(which I doubt).

The thing about the water treatments is in this humidity and heat, The powdery mildew is now back.

My plan of attack going forward is maybe another soap or neem treatment and then I'm purchasing some lacewing eggs/larvae. I'm pretty convinced from my research that the lacewing larvae are a better all around beneficial than ladybugs. So, they can tag team.

But one thing about the beneficials -- unless you want to keep purchasing them year after year, I learned from jean, kimmsr, and so many others that one has to make a concerted effort to create an insectary(plant beneficial plants that flower at different times of the year) so the adults want to stick around and propagate.

I'm tired of having a good couple months left in the season to grow more peppers and tomatoes only to see my plants slowly die and stop producing. I'm determined to whoop the whitefly.

Good luck.

Kevin

Thanks Kevin! Good to hear from a fellow San Diegan! So what have you been planting near your veggies to attract the ladybugs so nicely?

Likewise Nika :)

Well, I tried to grow a patch for an insectary off to the side that included Bachelor Buttons, a wildflower pack, coreopsis, and sunflowers.

But... after the gophers got to it, all that survived was the sunflowers, ONE Bachelor, and a couple California Poppies from the wildflowers. I'm going to give that area another shot in the fall when the temps start coming back down. I also went and got a couple pony packs of Marigolds and put them in a brick planter box a little closer to the action -- and no gophers. I already had some parsley flowering from last year. I'm sure that helped some.

So, after the gophers, I decided I'd try some beneficial attractors in some containers and sowed some Asters, Zinnias, Cilantro, Parsley, Dill, Borage, and Lavender.

Hopefully some of those will start flowering as the others start to tucker out. Like I said earlier... from what I've gathered, the trick is to have a diversity of benefical attractors FLOWERING throughout the majority of the year. Which, in our climate, should be doable. It seems like a lot more work than grabbing the sprayer and throwing some soap or neem in it, but I've tried the organic spraying route, and eventually i get overrun.

I also did a second sowing of sunflowers-- even some in the front flower box. I want beneficials in East County to say, "Hey, let's go hang out there!"

Of course, the downfall to all this is the water bill; so I mulch, mulch, mulch!

Here's a quick list to refer to that might give you some ideas. I'm still searching for some perennials that I can squeeze in without taking up my vegetable space. All I have right now as far as that is a rosemary bush and some french thyme.

Note about fennel-- I've never grown it and I always see it on beneficial lists. But, apparently, just about anything doesn't like growing next to it. Just a heads up.

Good luck.

Ohh. one more note. I noticed a tachinid fly and a wheel bug(both beneficials) on my cantaloupes today. So, something's bringing them here! I've never had much luck with beneficials until this year.

Good luck!

Kevin

Nika: forgot the list... Sorry.

Kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: click here

Insectaries have been known about for a long time and you will find them at Mount Vernon, Monticello, The Hermitage, Plimouth Plantation and many other similar places. Common practice for a few years has been to keep the margins of our gardens mowed, the places where the "weeds" (wild flowers) grow and this year a few million dollars will be spent for research to find out if leaving these margins would be better for our beneficials, pollinators. These margins can be a place where insect pests live, but they also can be a place where the predators of those insect pests live. If you do not provide a habitat that can support these beneficials and if you spray poisons that kill them you will not have any around.

Most all of the products containing pyrethrins have that in as the active ingredaint at between 0.3 to 1.0 percent. Pyrethrins are very potent, broad spectrum poisons.