Pests and Diseases

Re: Greenfly invasion

Kesira — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:04:30 GMT

My Mother in law gave me a lacewing and ladybird box at christmas. Just looks like a fancy bird box, it's actually very pretty. I have no idea though how to tell if anything is there though. Althogh I ave seen spiderwebs. Do you think i should keep removing those? Update on the greenfly though, lots of the parasitic wasps have turned up in the past week. yay!

Re: Greenfly invasion

Phot's-Moll — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:21:20 GMT

Hopefully you'll soon get some anyway, Digger.

Has anyone tried using lacewing 'hotels'? They're just bits of hollow stems bound together, sometimes with a fancy frame - I'm going to make some.

Re: Greenfly invasion

Digger — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:31:11 GMT

I wanted to buy some baby ladybugs for the garden and some lacewings but OH wouldn't let have any!.

Re: Greenfly invasion

richardpeeej — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:33:55 GMT

Thanks for the photos Phot's Moll I've not seen these young ladybird larva before - they do look like a garden pest, and there are so many different types of them. Well I hope they visit my garden in the East Midlands! Cheers

Re: Greenfly invasion

sue1002 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:25:14 GMT

I'm in East Anglia and we still don't have many more than we've had in the past. There's plenty of ladybird larvae feeding on the ones that we do have.

Re: Greenfly invasion

miranda — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:00:43 GMT

'I notice that many of you with the invasions are in Nottinghamshire, East Anglia and generally the Midlands. Is this significant, do you think?'

We had clouds of aphids a week or so ago and there are still a lot about, though now that the ladybirds have finally turned up it's a lot better. I'm in north west Oxfordshire, by the way - sometimes described as south midlands and sometimes as south east England.

Re: Greenfly invasion

Phot's-Moll — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:39:17 GMT

I've got lots of aphids and I live on the south coast - I think the recent warm weather is partly to blame.

Re: Greenfly invasion

Rosa — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:35:45 GMT

We've had the usual sudden rush of blackfly but nothing abnormal, plus I noticed quite a few ladybirds yesterday marching determindely up the runner beans! I notice that many of you with the invasions are in Nottinghamshire, East Anglia and generally the Midlands. Is this significant, do you think?

I didn't know you could get lacewings by post - I will try that as I don't see so many of those about these days and I believe their larvae are even more voracious than ladybirds.

Re: Greenfly invasion

Phot's-Moll — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:21:07 GMT

I'm sure that would be much less harmful, but it might be a good plan to stop as soon as you see any ladybirds.

btw, do you know what young ladybirds look like? If you don't it's easy to think they're pests as they're very weird looking.

http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/ladybird.htm

Re: Greenfly invasion

richardpeeej — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:01:18 GMT

I wonder will the soapy water harm the ladybirds too? if so I'll stop using it, Thanks I didn't think of that one!

Re: Greenfly invasion

Phot's-Moll — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:54:35 GMT

No, they should be able to increase rapidly - as long as people don't use sprays on the greenfly and kill the ladybirds too. As the pests breed more quickly than our spotty friends the greenfly will quickly return, but the ladybirds will be gone for much longer.

Re: Greenfly invasion

richardpeeej — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:51:00 GMT

I haven't seen any ladybirds yet in my garden Phots they seem to be very late this year, anyway they shouldn't be short of food when they come

Re: Greenfly invasion

Phot's-Moll — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:40:52 GMT

The ladybirds are coming! I spotted a few last week and the numbers are increasing - hurrah!

Re: Greenfly invasion

richardpeeej — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:35:33 GMT

I have also planted a lot of marigolds this year in with my vegetables and also near to my roses as I also understand that they deter greenfly. I also save all my plastic kitchen sprayer bottles, wash them out and fill them with soapy water to spray on my runner bean tops and flowers to get rid of the greenfly and blackfly from my roses, and anywhere else I find the little blighters!. I also tip the used soapy washing up water in with my plant troughs , flower tubs, veg and over the leaves (when the sun is not on them)! and this seems to work a treat for me.

Re: Greenfly invasion

Mississippi-Sheik — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:36:12 GMT

Many more aphids around here too - but not to the swarming extremes others describe. Not many ladybirds but a few, noticeably not the indegenous species but those recent arrivals from the EEC! None of these EEC ladybirds seem to like aphids as they seem to avoid the plants with them on.

We had plenty of UK ladybirds around in April but have not seen any when needed.

Strangely now, after roses had taken initial hit of aphids (with ants farming) they are now clear, and its my lupins that are getting the brunt of their attention.