Getting my feet wet...

[keith_r]

not the freezer, but the refrigerator.. they'll live for a couple weeks.. the smallest batches i've seen online were 1000 to 1500... i think the home depot was 1500
i released maybe a couple hundred in the basement, the rest went into the dirt garden area a couple weeks after i released the first batch, i just wanted to wait to see if they would do ok (it's been pretty chilly here)
but anyways, yeah, don't release them all at once

[samtheman]

Thanks Keith,

The hydroponics store near my house sells them in batch of 1500 for $12.00. I will give it a try

[urbanfarmer]

not the freezer, but the refrigerator.. they'll live for a couple weeks.. the smallest batches i've seen online were 1000 to 1500... i think the home depot was 1500
i released maybe a couple hundred in the basement, the rest went into the dirt garden area a couple weeks after i released the first batch, i just wanted to wait to see if they would do ok (it's been pretty chilly here)
but anyways, yeah, don't release them all at once

I'm not an entomologist... but, I did read a guide SOMEWHERE that stated the freezer and that you could get 6-8 months out of them. More research on the topic needs to be done I guess... I know an entomologist through the MG program; so, I might ask her, but I think we can find an answer without her...

Any animal will freeze if it's held at a low enough temperature for a long enough time. However, insect hemolymph ("blood") contains a natural anti-freeze, trehalose sugar, that depresses the freezing point of the insect. Insects that pass the winter exposed to cold temperatures have an extra amount of trehalose, so their anti-freeze is more effective. (I happen to know this because I'm an entomologist.) Also, some lady beetles aggregate in large numbers to pass the winter in a state of hibernation. Conserved metabolic heat from the mass of lady beetles raises their temperature slightly, helping to protect them from freezing.

Just a thought! If you don't find anything, I will just ask her next time I see her.

[keith_r]

i was just going by what i read on the "instruction" card that came with mine,, it stated that they would die in the freezer, but live for 2-3 weeks in the fridge..

[samtheman]

Thanks Urban,

I called the store and they keep them in stock in the refrigerator, they want $12.00 for 1500 of those suckers....that's not bad at all

[keith_r]

nope, not bad at all.. i think it was about 15 from home depot (delivered) for 1500 - they don't carry them in the stores around here

[samtheman]

My system is taking over:


tomatoes look great:



Eggplants:


Corn:


tilapia fingerlings:


The only plants I am still strugeling are the pepper plants, they turn yellow, the leaves fall, and the plants die. Maybe I should try a different variety of peppers

[urbanfarmer]

REALLY? In my experience peppers have really taken to aquaponics. I have tried regular cayenne, thai hot, bhut jolokia, bell peppers just to name a few.

Maybe the root system isn't getting established well enough? Are the roots in a lot of leftover soil or anything? Some peppers do worse with less oxygen. Thai hot peppers seem the most resilient to those conditions in my experience. What kind are they?

[samtheman]

I had red and green bell peppers and I lost all 4 plants, maybe I damaged the root system when I transplanted them. I though it was Iron deficiency so I started adding iron supplement to the system but it did nothing to the pepper plants. Now that my system is more stable, I am going to give it another try to the peppers.

[cedarswamp]

Are they blue tilapia? I thought they would be darker.