Removing large numbers of ladybugs from plants at harvest time?

Anyone who has used ladybugs in large numbers, as a pest control preventive measure, knows that they are on every surface in the grow room. I have a bunch of 1.5 gallon containers with 2 foot tall plants that are almost ready for harvest and they are covered in ladybugs.

Anybody care to share their strategies for removing ladybugs from ready-to-harvest-plants that will keep them in the grow room on the rest of the plants (perpetual grow here so there are always other plants to live in) and NOT bring them out along with the plants? Usually I cut down the plant and shake it a bit vigorously, which I do not like doing due to rupturing crystal heads. After I chop/shake/hang the plants, I shake the containers off vigorously inside the flower room which always results in soil piles gathering on the floor in the flower room. I wait for a while until all the ladies have crawled out of the soil pile and onto the other plants and then I clean it up.

There has to be an easier way to do this. Is there something I can use to lure the off the plants? Sorta like bees being smoked? Any advice will be greatly appreciated

haha so is the cure better than the pest? BTW How do ya clean your grow room in between crops if its perpetual?

PurpleBuz said:

haha so is the cure better than the pest? BTW How do ya clean your grow room in between crops if its perpetual?

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heheh The cure is MUCH better than the pest lol It's actually quite lovely having them around. They keep the fungus gnats as well as other pests in check without needing to spray crap all over the place or mess with Co2 poisoning as a means of pest control. They tickle the skin when working in there and my girlfriend thinks they are absolutely beautiful

I have a pretty big common area that I bring all the plants out to sit in while dusting about in the room. Some ladybugs end up staying behind in the common room when I put the plants back but 95% of em stay with the plants and go back into the room. So far I haven't seen any negatives about them aside from their bad habit of flying into the sun (1000 watt bulb) and dieing inside of my hoods back when I was running an open passive system.

NOBODY has ANYTHING to input at all? I know some of you guys have something to say here!

vacuum cleaners hose attachment

suck em up and put em where you want

I have a buddy that just shakes his plants over a piece of plastic after chopping. Removes like 95% of them I would say. The rest he deals with while manicuring.

Redbird1223 said:

vacuum cleaners hose attachment

suck em up and put em where you want

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That is genius! I might just buy a brand new small vaccuum just for this purpose. Thanks! Exactly the type of answer I was hoping for!

Alexander Supertramp said:

I have a buddy that just shakes his plants over a piece of plastic after chopping. Removes like 95% of them I would say. The rest he deals with while manicuring.

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Thats what I'm doing now but I have so many that they are all over the containers too. It's near impossible to shake these containers off without making a huge dusty mess. Thanks for the input!