Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: gazza975526570 on July 30, 2011, 22:46
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Over the last few weeks the amount of blackfly on beans is increasing. I had been destroying badly infected leaves and just suashing away and then using soapy water. There wasnt many ladybirds.
Went today and whilst there seems more blackfly there is now masses of ladybirds.
Would you leave the ladybirds to do their work or risk spraying which no doubt will do the ladybirds too?
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I`d leave well alone. As you say, spraying now will kill the LBs and they`ll do for the blackfly. The best plan is usually to pinch the tops off the beans with the blackfly attached and compost the lot but if the LBs have dropped in for a visit, I`d be willing to let them do their stuff. :)
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I`d leave well alone. As you say, spraying now will kill the LBs and they`ll do for the blackfly. The best plan is usually to pinch the tops off the beans with the blackfly attached and compost the lot but if the LBs have dropped in for a visit, I`d be willing to let them do their stuff. :)
This is what i want to do - but i also want to eat lots of beans.
They are mainly under the leaves - although some are on the growing tips. Ive been away the last week and i knew they would be bad on my return despite squishing as many as i could before i left.
Moved over what other ladybirds i could find where there didnt seem many other pests - reckon there must be hundred or so munching there way through them
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If your really worried, nip th ebits that have the blackfly off and try to knock off as many LBs as you can before stamping the buggery out of the pests!
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The effectiveness of pinching the tops out depends on what sort of beans we're takling about here!
OK with broad beans as that's where they tend to gather, but pinching the tops out of runner beans isn't going to help the problem if they're gathering on the leaves.
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a strong squirt with the hose usually washes them off the beans you want to pick :D
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a strong squirt with the hose usually washes them off the beans you want to pick :D
This werks fer me too :)
And lets the lady brds get on with their job without any harm, building up a good colony for the future too :D
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There is always a delayed effect with blackfly control and ladybirds. Once the colonies of blackfly appear the ladybirds start to breed and eventually overtake the blackfly. In the meantime the blackfly can spoil your crop. It is the lavae of the ladybirds thar devour most of the aphids. These are grey with orange spots. If there is plenty of good cover for ladybirds to overwinter their numbers will be greater and the delay will be less.
The lavae of hoverflies and lacewings also devour aphids. Their lavae are small maggots that you may sometimes see in a blackfly colony. Adult hoverflies feed on nectar and you can attract them by planting nectar producing flowers. They then lay thier eggs near to aphid colonies and the maggots feed on the aphids.
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Just wanted to update this in case anyone searches a older thread.
Well few days later i went back and almost all the blackfly where gone - as had the ladybird.
So now im a firm believer in letting nature do its own thing and since then ive been picking beans in massive amounts
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I had a few blackfly starting to appear on the runners, but they (the blackfly! :tongue2:) have now all gone (to be replaced by several ladybirds sat impatiently banging their little knives and forks on the leaves!) :)
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they are waiting for the horror film sequel...............
RETURN OF THE FLY!
:lol:
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they are waiting for the horror film sequel...............
RETURN OF THE FLY!
:lol:
nice one!!! :D :lol:
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they are waiting for the horror film sequel...............
RETURN OF THE FLY!
:lol:
Ah! So that's why they were all wearing funny-coloured specs and munching popcorn! ::)
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The hoverflies and ladybirds will be abundant and do the job for you if you let them. Don't spray pleeeeeeeeease :)