When blackfly appear on my broad beans I usually smirk complacently and say 'The ladybirds will be along any moment...!'. And it's always been more or less true - until this year. I haven't seen a single ladybird, and my broad beans and dahlias have been smothered in blackfly. I've been reduced to smearing them off with my fingers, aided by a soap dispenser, a messy chore which I find quite unpleasant. And the broad beans in particular have really suffered. We did manage to get 8 or 9 feeds off the over-winter ones, but my spring-sown ones have given us practically nothing. I've also sown a new autumn-cropping variety, which are just starting to show through - it'll be interesting to see how they fare.
Meanwhile, is anybody else aware of a dearth of lady birds....?