Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: lozenge on May 14, 2008, 21:28
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SO do the ants eat the blackfly or do i try and get rid of both of them? and if i do get rid of them, how?
tia
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The ants FARM the blackfly by harvesting their sugary secretions.
The solution depends on whether you are organic or not, there are plenty of proprietry sprays on the market & not doubt someone will suggest an organic method. (Fairy liquid perchance?).
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Isn't pinching the tops out a solution !
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Probably is - but I don't do broad beans!
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I don't think you ever get rid of the aphids whilst you have the ants, by any method. :wink:
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I would pick off any shoots where there are blackfly.If you can get rid of as many as possible (using washing up liquid diluted is a good way if you have a sprayer) you will find that the ants will leave the area and move on .
Any clean bean tops can be picked and cooked in similar way to Spinach, Delicious !
The Blackfly like the young groiwing tips of the plant , if you pick these, the Blackfly will go elsewhere and the bean plant will send up side stems.
I noticed a few of our broadbean plants had a small amount of Blackfly, on the growing tip yesterday, whipped them off as Blackfly multiply very quickly .Ladybirds will eat Blackfly so if you have any ladybirds around encourage them .If you find any in your Garden relocate them to the area where you have Blackfly.
It is a common problem with Broadbeans .
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Well, I personally find - must be added thousands of ant species, some might behave different is on the cards - ants don't move for any reason, including ant powder, never mind washing up water and so forth, except for their nest being constantly ruined, all the rest seems to me accidental side observation and not at all factual.
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The treatment with washing up liquid is not against the ants gobs but against the blackfly. The ants are not the pest they are just there to take the sugary secretion from the blackflies. get rid of the blackflies and tha ants will move on to find more food.
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The treatment with washing up liquid is not against the ants gobs but against the blackfly. The ants are not the pest they are just there to take the sugary secretion from the blackflies. get rid of the blackflies and tha ants will move on to find more food.
Thanks, ants don't move away if there is no aphids, they move the aphids about. :wink: the ants are the root of problem, I'm afraid. :D
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Interesting Observation, Never thought of it like that so the Ants are using my beans as fodder for their herd of Blackfly ! Mmmm! Next Ants nest gets the boot !Boiling Water treatment just like me old Ma used to do.
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Interesting Observation, Never thought of it like that so the Ants are using my beans as fodder for their herd of Blackfly ! Mmmm! Next Ants nest gets the boot !Boiling Water treatment just like me old Ma used to do.
Well, it's not an interesting observation either, it's a well researched, scientific fact of bug life. Known for ages.
Certain species of ants farm leaf suckers and protect them from ladybirds, even take them to their nest for protection and over -wintering. :wink:
What is the washing up liquid for hey, :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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I've never tried it myself as I didn't know about it last time I got as far as having broad bean plants but Bob Flowerdew says he fed his ants jam (dotted on the bean plants) and they actually ate the aphids.
Of course if the ants are being troublesome in other ways this won't help. When I have ants in the house I use Nippon (boric acid) to get rid of them.
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Gobs , the wash up liquid diluted with water and sprayed onto the Blackfly is an organic method of destroying Blackfly populations . the theory is that the soapy mix immobolises the blackfly and prevents them from sucking the juices out of the growing tip of the bean plant.Often wondered if Hairspray would work ?
I have found that picking the growing tips, when there is only a small infestation, works. I have never had Ants and Blackfly problem.
I think Ants like lighter soils than the Clay I have.
I am not surprised that ants work things to their advantage , I do nt disbelieve you , Ants work as a community .
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I have exactly the same problem, but with the plants only 4-6 inches high I an not happy about taking out the tips yet. Apparently soap works by dissolving the waterproof waxy coating on the aphid skin, without that they simply dry out and die.
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right then, off i go with my spray.
i don't know why i didn't think of that - it's already worked on my borlotti beans at home.
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I have a bad infestation of blackfly on my runner beans, and I also see the ants crawling over my plants, I went to 99p shop and bought a bottle of green and black fly killer now my only concern is will spraying my beans harm our friends the ladybirds? I would hate to think that the chemical would harm them in any way?
Does anyone else use blackfly killer? I sprayed my plants yesterday with the stuff, it's a 7 day treatment on them.
Previously I was so desperate to get rid of them, I even pulled a whole stalk off blackfly off with my finger, ewwww I know. I was told by a neighbour that washing up liquid doesn't work on them.
I need to get rid of them but obviously I don't want to harm the ladybirds.
Thank you from the prize runner bean man ;0)
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I have cut some of my broad beans down (the ones which had stopped producing, and had the most black fly) as they were sprouting from the bottom anyway. There are still some black fly on some of the other plants around the broad beans themselves. The growing tips were removed some time ago. Will they have harmed the broad beans themselves, and if I spray with soapy water, will that harm any of the veg?